Confluence Of Existence
by forensicsfan
Summary: COMPLETE - There are places where our lives intersect and we are changed as a result. For the CSIs the lab is such a place. They do not fully realize the influence the confluence of that place has on each other's lives.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I don't own them, I didn't create them, and I don't profit from them. A cup of Joe with George and Jorja would be nice, however.

**Confluence:**  
_(n.)_ The act of flowing together; the meeting or junction of two or more streams; the place of meeting.  
_(n.)_ Any running together of separate streams or currents; the act of meeting and crowding in a place; hence, a crowd; a concourse; an assemblage.

* * *

As the acrid smell hit her nostrils, Catherine Willows felt a wave of nausea hit her full force. Letting out something between a curse and a whimper, she glanced Sara Sidle's direction momentarily before running outside the house they were in the middle of processing. 

Sara had a perplexed expression on her face as she watched Catherine flee. The odor in the room was a bit overpowering, but as CSIs they had smelled worse. She turned her attention back to the carpet she was hunched over as she continued to look for stray fibers. She wasn't sure how much time had elapsed, but when Catherine still hadn't returned, she became concerned. She stowed the few bindles with the fibers she'd collected into her kit and stood up, making her way outside the house. As she stood on the porch, she glanced around looking for Catherine, finally spying her leaning up against her Denali.

Catherine forced a smile onto her face as Sara approached. "Sorry, that smell just got to me all of a sudden."

Sara looked at her a bit quizzically. "You doing ok, Cath?" It wasn't like the veteran CSI to lose her stomach contents at a murder scene.

Catherine's expression belied her churning stomach. "I'm sure I'll be fine." She winced suddenly as she felt another wave of nausea wash over her and she turned away from Sara as she threw up again.

Sara put her hand on Catherine's back in a comforting gesture. "Cath, you should be at home in bed if you're sick."

As much as she wanted to argue, Catherine knew that Sara was right. The last thing she wanted was to contaminate a crime scene because she was too stubborn to admit she wasn't well enough to continue.

"I can call Nick." Sara suggested.

"It's his night off; he's probably on a date." Catherine wiped her mouth with the back of her hand as she stood upright and turned around to face Sara.

Sara smirked. "I have it on good authority that he's just at home painting his spare bedroom."

Catherine raised an eyebrow in curiosity.

"Warrick was giving him a hard time about it at breakfast after shift yesterday." Sara informed her, concern still evident on her face.

Catherine smiled softly at her younger coworker. She knew that the three younger CSIs spent much of their off time together, and she was glad that it seemed that Sara was returning to more of her old self than she'd been in far too long. "You know, I'm not going to argue with you, I feel like crap." That answer was only half of the truth. It was the other half of the truth that was making her feel even sicker, but for the moment, she was going to keep that to herself.

Sara pulled her cell phone off of her belt and punched in Nick's number. A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth as she heard a voice on the other end. "While I'm sure you're having the time of your life getting flecks of Oceanic Blue stuck in your hair, I need your help." She just rolled her eyes and cleared her throat. "Catherine's sick and needs to go home and I need help processing the rest of the scene." Sara glanced over at her coworker who had a slightly odd expression on her face. "Crescent Drive just past the corner of Star Dust Avenue." She rolled her eyes again. "Yes. No. Yes." Sara let out a soft chuckle and shook her head. "Fine." With that she ended the call and looked over at Catherine.

The smile on Catherine's face was smug. "So, he's coming then?" There was much implied in her tone.

Sara brushed it off. "Yeah, he just need to put the paint brushes and rollers in the freezer." She continued when Catherine raised an eyebrow. "It keeps the paint from drying, so all he'll have to do is thaw them out when he gets home."

Catherine smiled to cover up yet another wave of nausea. "I suppose I should call Grissom and let him know I'm leaving."

"I hope you feel better." Sara knit her brows together.

Catherine studied her for a moment. "Uh, Sara, do me a favor."

"Ok." Sara regarded her curiously.

"Stay out here until Nick gets here since PD is gone." Catherine's mind flashed back to a previous case she'd worked when she'd sent an officer outside and she'd been attacked by a suspect that was still on the scene; Catherine had experienced nightmares for weeks.

"Catherine, I'll be fine." Sara began to protest.

"Humor me." Catherine had a serious expression on her face. "I'll pull rank if I have to."

Sara looked a bit annoyed, but nodded. "Ok, I'll wait in my vehicle." She remembered that after she'd investigated Warrick for leaving Holly Gribbs on the scene by herself where the rookie CSI had been shot and had later died, that Catherine had been very protective of the case. She took Catherine's concern to heart, suddenly remembering that Catherine herself had been attacked once.

"I'll see you tomorrow night." Catherine lifted her hand as she stepped towards the driver's door of her vehicle.

Sara stood there, arms across her chest as she watched her go, finally climbing into her own vehicle to wait for Nick. She put the key in the ignition and turned it far enough so that she could turn the radio on. She wasn't sure how long she'd been sitting there as she sang along with a song on the radio lost in thought when she heard a tap at her window. Startled, she jumped a little and then glanced out the window where a smiling Nick Stokes stood. She smirked, shaking her head as she pulled the keys out of the ignition and descended from the SUV. "You scared me."

Nick raised an eyebrow. "I went inside and I didn't see you. I was worried." He looked at her a bit concerned.

"Catherine made me promise to wait in the car." Sara explained gesturing towards the interior of her Denali before shutting the door. She noticed flecks of paint in his hair and chuckled softly.

He shot her a bemused glance.

"You have paint in your hair." She smirked in an effort to keep from smiling too widely as they made their way back into the house.

He chuckled. "Well, I was painting when you called me." He really hadn't been enjoying his home improvement project all that much either, so when Sara had called, he was glad for the interruption.

Sara gestured to where Catherine had been working. "You've got the kitchen."

Nick nodded, immediately putting himself in work mode as he walked into the room. A pungent odor assaulted his senses and he felt his eyes and nose immediately react. "Whoa, this place reeks, no wonder Catherine felt sick."

"I've smelled worse." Sara called out from the other room.

"Yes you have." Nick couldn't resist teasing her. They had gotten a very memorable decomp and Sara had smelled for the entire shift they'd worked until she'd finally given up and bought some lemons to scrub the smell out of her pores.

"Not funny." Sara retorted from where she was laying prone on the carpet shining a light underneath the sofa.

"You have to admit it was a little funny." Nick called back as he lifted the lid on the trash can and looked inside, wincing not only at the smell, but at the sight before him, as he cursed under his breath. "I can't believe how sick some people can be."

"What is it?" Sara stopped what she was doing and glanced towards the kitchen.

Nick winced again and then looked over at Sara with concern etched on his face. "We've got another victim."


	2. Chapter 2

For some reason, this case upset Sara and she was thankful for the solitude her Denali provided as she drove back to the lab to go over the evidence with Nick. Some cases seemed to get to her more than others, and this was no exception, but an aspect of this one was different. What had seemed at first to be a home invasion gone horribly wrong, leaving the home's occupant dead, had morphed into something which seemed far more personal and premeditated.

What Nick had found in the kitchen trash can was presumably the victim's pet cat, brutally killed in the same fashion as its owner. What people did to each other was disturbing enough, but to track down a pet and purposely kill it as well added another level to the twisted perverse nature of the person responsible.

Sara didn't even bother to wipe away the tears that streamed down her face, she just let them flow, giving some release to the emotions that the case had brought to the surface. She had gotten so used to keeping her emotions in check for their human victims that seeing an animal treated that cruelly had taken her by surprise and hit her hard.

When she had seen what Nick had found in the trash, she choked back a sob and he looked at her with a concern that bore into her soul. She had excused herself for a few minutes, heading outside to try and pull herself together so that they could finish processing the crime scene. By the time she returned inside, Nick had already bagged the cat as well as the trash it had been in to preserve any trace evidence that might be present.

They had meticulously gone over the entire house, paying particular attention to anything that seemed out of the ordinary for a woman in her mid-thirties, and as they did, it occurred to Sara that anyone with a longhaired cat would have to vacuum a lot. However, when they'd searched for a vacuum cleaner, they hadn't been able to locate one, even though there was evidence that the carpet had been vacuumed recently.

As Sara pulled into the parking lot of the lab, she took a few moments to compose herself, wiping away her tears and blowing her nose. A quick glance in the rear view mirror told her that she'd be taking a quick trip into the ladies room to wipe away the smudge of mascara that had formed below her eyes from the tears that had fallen and she made a mental note to switch to a waterproof version of her favorite brand.

Before she had the opportunity to disappear into the ladies room, Grissom spotted her and for a long moment she looked at him, silently pleading with him not to ask anything until she'd had the chance to make herself more presentable. He nodded imperceptibly, surprised at the evidence of her tears. She thankfully disappeared into the ladies room, and when she emerged she went in search of Grissom.

He glanced up from his desk as she paused in the doorway. Concern flickered across his face momentarily as he looked at her. "I wanted to ask you how the case was." There was an unspoken question in his tone.

"Disturbing." Sara answered evenly. "Nick's bringing in the evidence we collected."

Grissom looked at her over the rim of his glasses. "Yes, Catherine told me she had gotten ill."

Sara nodded. "I think that maybe the victim knew her attacker."

Grissom furrowed his brow. "What makes you think that?"

"He killed her cat too, just the way he killed her. Nick found it in the trash in her kitchen." Sara explained, a pained expression flitting across her face for a moment. "It seems too personal."

Grissom gave her a thoughtful expression. "Keep me informed."

Sara turned to leave, knowing that she and Nick had a long night ahead of them as they sifted through everything they had collected in the house.

"Sara." Grissom's tone was softer.

Sara paused and then turned around. "Yeah?" She sounded tired.

"You can't let it get to you." He knew that she'd bristle at his words, but he couldn't help but admonish her to try and stay focused and detached as she worked the case.

She nodded somberly. "I know." Her tone implied that it already had gotten to her, and as she turned and headed down the hall in search of Nick, she felt a veil of sadness cover her. In reality, it was more than just this case, but this case had brought things to the surface unbidden and at the moment she wasn't sure how to deal with it other than to try and push it down and ignore it.

Nick was in the third layout room down the hallway. He was already sifting through the trash bag, having saved the processing of the cat until Sara had gotten there. He glanced up and gave her a friendly smile. "I got a head start."

"I can see." She tried to return his smile, but failed miserably. Instead, she picked up a yogurt container and inspected it to see if it might hold any clues.

Nick continued with his task, but at the same time spoke softly. "You know, I had this dog once when I was a kid. My older brother was jealous because he'd asked for a dog for years and my parents always said 'no' because they both had busy careers and there was always someone in diapers and they didn't want to deal with a pet on top of that. But when I was about six, my parents got me a dog. By then my brother was in high school and getting ready to head off to college and my sisters were more inclined to try and dress me up than play with me, so I think my parents figured that I could use a little company."

Sara glanced up and a more genuine smile formed on her face. "What was his name?"

Nick smiled. "Landry. I named him after Tom Landry, the legendary coach of the Cowboys. I pretty much lived and breathed football and that dog went just about everywhere with me."

Sara let out a soft chuckle.

"Well my junior year in high school, I think poor Landry was a bit lonely because I was involved in sports and I was dating this girl Melissa, so I wasn't home much. A neighbor started to complain that Landry was barking all the time, but I think he just wanted someone to pay attention to him." A sad expression crossed Nick's face. "One day I came home after a football game and found Landry on the front porch with a bullet wound in his side."

"Oh, Nick." Sara's expression fell.

Nick nodded. "We took him to the vet, but he'd lost too much blood and we had to put him to sleep." He looked over at Sara even as he blinked back tears. "I cried like a baby over that dog."

"Did you ever find out who shot him?" Sara furrowed her brow.

Nick shook his head. "Nothing we could prove. There were several theories, what with my dad being a DA and my mom being a public defender, any number of people could have been pissed off, but to this day I think it was the neighbor who complained that Landry barked too much."

It seemed a light had dawned in Sara's mind. "So you think that the motive for killing our vic and her cat could have been something as simple as a neighbor that had a grudge?"

Nick smiled at her insight. "And to think, I almost missed this by taking the night off to paint my spare room. I'll have to thank Catherine for getting sick."

Sara looked at Nick with a raised eyebrow. "Did you really have a dog named Landry?"

Nick chuckled as he regarded her suspicion. "Sara, every word of that story was true; I was just reminded of it when I saw the cat."

Sara smiled. "Thanks Nick."

He looked at her quizzically. "For what?"

She looked a little embarrassed as she spoke. "For understanding why I fell apart."

His expression was exceedingly kind. "Sara, it's a wonder that we don't fall apart more doing this job."


	3. Chapter 3

Catherine lay curled on her bed, hugging a pillow. Thankfully, Lindsey was staying at her sister's house for the night and she didn't need to explain why she'd come home from work early. As she had left the scene, she felt overwhelmed, not only because she felt physically ill, but because she was afraid of what it might be. She had only felt this way once before, and deep down, the unflappable Catherine Willows was terrified.

She had spent the first hour that she was home crying, another indication that she felt that her life was spiraling out of control. She really hadn't felt like herself for a while. Whether it was the fact that she'd made a gross error in judgement by utilizing the lab's resources improperly, finding out in the process that Sam Braun was her father, or that she'd ultimately been responsible for the lab explosion, or perhaps it was the fact that she'd jumped into a relationship with Chris that had no foundation other than physical pleasure.

It was that last thing that gave her pause. Things between her and Chris had crumbled and he was dating someone else now, someone who could give him more time, someone who didn't have a child to hold them back. Catherine felt tears spill down her cheeks again as she hugged the pillow tighter.

If her suspicions were true then her entire world was about to turn upside down. Right now she needed someone to talk to, someone who would just listen and wouldn't judge. She needed to figure out exactly what to do before it became obvious what was wrong.

Her cell phone rang, breaking her from her reverie. She glanced at the caller ID to see if she wanted to answer it, and when she saw who was calling, she flipped the phone open. "Hey."

Warrick's tone was concerned. "Cath, I heard you went home sick. What's wrong?"

In spite of herself, Catherine choked out a sob.

"Are you okay?" Warrick was becoming worried now.

Catherine sniffled. "No." She felt another sob escape. If anyone else besides Warrick had called, she was certain that she could have held herself together, but he was a very close friend and she trusted him in a way she didn't trust too many people.

"Cath?" Even though Warrick was in the middle of a case, he was tempted to leave to go see her.

She sniffled. "I just don't feel very well right now." She knew that he knew that there was far more to the story.

"Where's Lindsey?" Warrick asked with concern.

"At my sister's." Catherine sniffled. "She's spending the night and then going to day camp."

"I'm coming over there after shift." Warrick didn't leave any room in his tone for negotiation.

A faint smile flickered across Catherine's face. "Okay." She sniffled again.

"It's gonna be okay, Cath." Warrick did his best to try and reassure her, not really sure if it was true.

It couldn't have been more than ten minutes after shift ended that Catherine heard a knock on her door. A faint smile tugged at her lips knowing that Warrick had probably left early and ran a few red lights to get there. As she opened the door she felt herself being swept into a hug.

"Hey, I'm worried about you." Warrick whispered in her ear.

She let herself rest against him for a long moment before pulling away. She looked up into his eyes, her expression full of fear. "I'm scared, Rick."

Warrick's brow furrowed. "What's going on?" He allowed her to lead him to the couch where they both sank back into it.

Catherine tried to keep a brave face on, smiling even through the tears that slipped down her cheeks. "I threw up at a crime scene."

Warrick nodded. "Yeah, Sara told me."

"But that's not all." Catherine continued looking at Warrick who was studying her demeanor. "I don't think it's the flu."

Warrick nodded, reaching over and taking her hand. "Chris?"

She nodded. "I haven't seen him for over a month, but if I am, it's his." She choked back another sob. "We were always careful. I knew he wasn't the kind of guy I could spend the rest of my life with, that's why I never let him meet Lindsey."

"Hey." Warrick pulled her against him and held her as she cried. "Whatever happens, I'm here for you."

She found herself laughing as she pulled away, wiping tears from her eyes. "It could be a wild ride."

He smiled at her softly. "That's what friends are for."

Catherine looked small and vulnerable. "What am I going to tell Lindsey?" The last thing she wanted to do was to disappoint her daughter. She had held things together when Eddie had become a disaster. She had been strong when she'd left him, and she'd kept up a brave front when he had died.

Warrick looked at her intensely. "First you need to find out if there's anything to tell her. Okay?"

Catherine nodded. "Yeah, I know." She wondered what she would do, how she could raise another child if she was in fact pregnant. She was sure that Lindsey would take things in stride, but she also wondered what kind of message that this was sending her daughter. The very reason she'd never let Chris meet Lindsey was because he was the kind of guy she wanted to spend the night with, not the rest of her life with. How she would explain that a man Lindsey didn't even know about was the father of her half sibling she had no idea; there was no easy way to say it.

"Hey." Warrick's voice broke her out of her reverie. "You know we all love you. You're not in this alone." He knew that he could confidently speak for the rest of the nightshift team. They weren't just coworkers, they were like a family, albeit a somewhat dysfunctional one.

Catherine nodded, her eyes pleading with Warrick's. "Would you stay with me? I don't want to be alone right now."

He nodded. "Yeah." He pulled her against him once more, kissing the top of her head. "I'll hold you."

After a while, Catherine pulled away from him and smiled. "Thanks for coming." She sniffled. "It means a lot to me."

He smiled at her as she let out a yawn. "You need to get some sleep, Cath." He stroked her hair. "C'mon." He pulled her up off of the couch and propelled her down the hallway to her bedroom, climbing on top of the bed with her and wrapping his arms around her as she molded herself against him.

They drifted off to sleep together, Catherine taking comfort from Warrick's presence and Warrick letting his arms encircle her protectively.


	4. Chapter 4

"How long have you been here?" Although there was a smile on his face, Nick's voice was edged with concern; he knew how Sara had a tendency to loose herself in a case.

She glanced up. "An hour or two; I don't know."

Nick furrowed his brow and frowned.

Sara raised an eyebrow in response. "I couldn't sleep."

Nick's expression softened. "I just worry about you."

She smirked. "I'm a big girl." She appreciated his concern, but at times it made her uncomfortable. She was used to doing things by herself and for herself; depending on other people wasn't something that came naturally to her.

Nick let out a slightly amused chuckle. "I didn't say you weren't, but I still worry about you." Truth be told, there were times Nick worried about every member of the team of CSIs he worked with. Each of them had a penchant for working far too much and taking too little time for themselves, and he was as guilty as the rest of them. He hadn't been back to Texas to visit his family in several months and every time he spoke with one of his siblings or his parents, they asked him when they'd be seeing him again.

Sara turned her attention back to the evidence she was examining from the crime scene they'd processed the previous night, letting out a deep sigh in the process.

"Do you want to grab some coffee and come back to this in a few minutes?" Nick looked at her inquisitively. He knew that they'd probably end up discussing the case while they sipped what he hoped was Greg Sanders' special blend in the break room, but at least she wouldn't be staring in frustration at a pile of garbage trying to decipher what it had to offer to their case for a few minutes.

Sara stood up and stretched trying to stifle a yawn.

"I'll take that as a yes." Nick smirked at her as she rolled her eyes at him. They headed down the hallway and into the break room and true to form, Sara began to espouse her theories on the case.

"I can't help but think that the killer had been in our vic's apartment numerous times." Sara's brow was furrowed as she accepted the cup of coffee Nick poured for her.

"Well that tracks with there being no forced entry, but the backdoor was unlocked too. It's possible she just wasn't vigilant about locking her doors." Nick countered as he poured himself a cup of coffee, smiling as he realized that this was Greg's coffee.

Sara considered that for a moment. "Unless she was expecting someone."

"Which brings us back to looking at people that she spent time with on a regular basis." Nick agreed.

Something just didn't seem right to Sara. She looked at Nick quizzically. "Have you ever had a cat?"

He shook his head, taking another sip of his coffee. "I'm more of a dog person."

"Me too." A smile played at her lips as she looked at him for a moment before her expression became more serious. "But I had a cat once, and it was very particular about who could pick it up or even get near it for that matter."

Nick just watched her to see where she might be going with this.

"When I was at Berkeley and would come home on the weekends, my cat wouldn't even let me pick it up until I'd been home for a few hours and she knew I was going to be there for a while." She continued.

Nick still didn't say anything; he just took another sip of his coffee and waited for Sara to finish her theory.

"Have you ever tried to pick up a cat that didn't want you to?" Sara inquired, lifting her own coffee cup up to her lips.

Nick nodded with a smirk. "Yeah, once."

Sara chuckled at Nick's expression. "That's my point." She furrowed her brow again. "I think the killer was in her house for a while before he killed her."

Nick considered her words. "What makes you think the killer was a man?"

Sara pursed her lips together to keep from smiling, knowing that she had a little more information than Nick did. "Crime of passion."

He looked at her doubtfully, raising an eyebrow. "Still doesn't rule out a woman as the assailant."

"Based on just that, I'd have to agree with you." Sara smirked. "But there was just enough DNA on the cat's claws for analysis. Our killer is a man."

Nick chuckled. "Way to string me along." He took another sip, draining the coffee cup before setting it in the sink. "So we're looking for a man that spent a lot of time in her house that also should be sporting some nasty scratches on his arms."

Sara nodded, a smile spreading across her face. "We should see if Brass has a list of friends and neighbors put together yet."

Catherine walked in just then. She looked tired and a bit pale. "Hey." She smiled, but worry was evident behind it.

Nick and Sara exchanged a quick glance before Nick greeted her. "How are you feeling, Cath?" He had a special bond with Catherine and when Sara had called him to help out at the scene the previous night, he couldn't help but worry.

"I'll live." Her smile was more genuine at Nick's display of concern. "I think I'll be staying away from chicken for a while though."

"Food poisoning?" Sara queried her hoping that whatever it was that had made Catherine sick wasn't contagious.

"I hope so." Catherine replied, reaching for a bag of herbal tea instead of her standard cup of coffee. "I'm still not feeling great." She felt compelled to offer an explanation for her sudden change in beverage. She wasn't about to tell them what Warrick already knew until she had a doctor confirm it. While two pregnancy tests indicated the same thing, Catherine knew that they weren't always reliable and this was one time when she had to be absolutely certain.

"We were just talking about the case from last night." Sara informed her.

"Oh." Catherine poured hot water into the cup over the tea bag.

"The assailant killed her pet cat too. Nick found it in the trash in the kitchen." Sara continued, excited that the case seemed to be going somewhere.

The expression on Catherine's face immediately changed and she put her cup down quickly on the counter. "Excuse me."

Nick and Sara exchanged a concerned glance as Catherine rushed towards the door with her hand over her mouth, barely making it into the hallway before she threw up.


	5. Chapter 5

Grissom had just emerged from his office when Catherine had burst out into the hallway and thrown up. Concern was etched on his face as he quickly approached her, tentatively putting a hand on her shoulder. "Cath?"

She glanced up with a look of frustration on her face. "Sorry about that." She knew that she was going to have to tell Grissom what she suspected, but she had hoped that she could delay it until she knew for sure.

Grissom motioned to Nick and Sara who were now out in the hallway. "Can one of you find someone to clean this up?"

Nick nodded. "I'm on it." He cast Catherine a compassionate glance as he made his way down the hallway in search of a mop.

"You ok, Cath?" Sara's voice was thick with concern. Other than the previous evening, she had never known the elder CSI to be sick.

Catherine just nodded, not quite trusting her voice.

"Cath, why don't you come lay down in my office for a while." Grissom wanted to suggest that she go home, but he knew that she was stubborn and if he was going to have to argue with her he didn't want to do it in the middle of the hallway.

Catherine nodded and followed Grissom towards his office.

After he'd closed the door behind them, he noticed Catherine's posture as she sat in the chair opposite his desk. He could tell that she wanted to talk, not to rest and suddenly he knew what it was she was going to tell him. He settled himself into his chair and looked at her over the rim of his glasses expectantly.

Catherine could tell by his expression that he already knew what she was going to say. That's how it had been with them; over the last fifteen or so years, they'd come to read each other pretty well. "I'm not sure yet, Gil."

Grissom furrowed his brow.

"I mean, I took a couple of tests and they both say the same thing, but you know that they're not completely accurate." Catherine continued, trying to convince herself as much as him. "I have an appointment for after shift, and then I should know something definitive."

Grissom finally spoke. "How far along?" He knew from watching her when she was pregnant with Lindsey that Catherine's suspicions about being pregnant were probably correct. And despite her inclination that both pregnancy tests might have given a false positive, they both knew that the morgue used the over the counter tests routinely to determine if a female victim was pregnant.

"Six maybe seven weeks is my best guess." Catherine looked only a little relieved that Grissom knew. This was an interruption in her life that she wasn't expecting. At another time or place in her life she might have considered abortion, but after having given birth to Lindsey and watching her grow up, there was no way that she was even going to allow herself to consider that thought as a viable option.

Grissom studied her for a long moment before he spoke again. "Cath, if you need anything." He faltered for a moment. "Time off." His expression softened. "My door is always open."

She felt the corners of her mouth twitch upwards. Grissom didn't show it often, but he truly cared about the people on his team. "I suppose I should go home until I know something for sure. I'd appreciate it if you didn't say anything."

Grissom nodded. "Nothing goes past these walls." He pursed his lips together and then looked her in the eye. His next question was friend to friend. "Cath, is the father in the picture?"

Catherine felt emotion welling up in her throat as she shook her head, forcing a smile onto her face. "I haven't seen him in a month. He's not really the fatherly type."

Grissom couldn't help but feel a pang of concern for his friend. He had never been one to be judgmental about other people, but he often thought that Catherine sold herself short and could pick better men to be with, but then a person couldn't really control who they fell for; he of all people knew that firsthand. He knew how much he would have to give up to be with the woman he had fallen for, and he just didn't have it in himself to take that risk. Besides, he sensed that Sara was finally moving on, and he was glad for her, even if he felt sadness for himself.

"I'll let you know what I find out." Catherine had been talking, but Grissom had only heard the last sentence. She smiled at him, knowing that his thoughts had wandered. "If you want me to go home, I will, but I'd rather stay here and at least process evidence."

He paused only briefly before answering her. "It might raise a few less eyebrows if you go home, unless you want people to come to their own conclusions."

Catherine nodded. "I thought about that too." She moved to stand up.

"Cath?" Grissom looked concerned.

She turned back towards him. "Yeah?"

"No matter what happens, we're all here for you." He was completely sincere.

Catherine smiled. If there was one thing about Gil Grissom that never ceased to surprise her it was that he could be real with her like no one else. Perhaps because they'd been friends for so long, they had no pretenses with each other. She appreciated that, but still, his genuine display of caring surprised her. "I know. I'll see you tomorrow."

Grissom watched her as she went. He knew that she was scared, but she'd never admit it to him. He only hoped that she had someone in her life that she could let her guard down with, she was going to need it if her suspicions proved to be true.

He glanced up at the clock, realizing that shift was set to start in two minutes, and so he pulled himself out of his chair and made his way down to the break room to hand out assignments to the rest of the team. Fortunately, it appeared as if it was going to be a relatively slow night. He and Warrick would cover any new cases that came in while Nick and Sara continued to work the case they'd had the previous night.

Grissom barely noticed that the hall floor in front of the break room had been cleaned up, and as he walked in, the rest of the team glanced up, a mixture of curiosity and concern on their faces.

"How's Catherine?" Sara was surprisingly the first one to ask.

Grissom glanced at the rest of them. "She's going home sick and hopefully she'll join us tomorrow night."

Warrick nodded, and there was something in his expression that told Grissom he knew exactly what was going on . Their eyes met briefly and an unspoken understanding passed between them.

"What's on the plate tonight, boss." Greg Sanders had been getting more and more field time and he was anxious to get out in the field and help out.

Grissom gave him a pointed stare. "I want you to help Nick and Sara with their case. Warrick and I will cover anything else that comes in for the time being." With that, he handed Warrick an assignment slip. "419 at the Mediterranean. Possible overdose. Vartan is already there."

Warrick pulled his lanky frame out of his chair and sauntered out of the room.

Grissom looked over at Nick and Sara, his gaze lingering a little longer than necessary on Sara. "Keep me posted on your case." With that Grissom headed out of the break room and back down the hallway, his head down as he studied a file intently.

Nick glanced over at Sara who wore a clouded expression on her face, but before he could say anything, Greg interjected.

"So what are we working on?" Greg's grin was wide. He couldn't hide his excitement at helping put the pieces of a case together to solve the puzzle.

Nick glanced briefly at him, watching Sara out of the corner of his eye. He could tell she was starting to get pissed off. "Sanders, I put a boat load of samples in DNA for you to process. Let me know when you're done."

Greg nodded. It wasn't the answer he wanted to hear, but he knew that is was a key part of the whole process. "I'll page you."

After Greg left, Nick looked at bit more intently at Sara, reaching over and touching her shoulder gently. "Sara, don't let him get to you." He had seen how just a lingering glance from Grissom had caused her face to cloud.

Her tone was almost bitter when she responded. "I just wish he would stop doing that. I've moved on, but apparently he's still stuck in the same place."

"It's his loss, Sara." He smiled at her and his tone was so genuine that she couldn't help but smile.

"You're good for my ego." She pulled herself out of her chair and glanced back at him.

He flashed an electric grin at her and then elbowed her as they stepped out into the hall. "You're not so bad for mine either."


	6. Chapter 6

"So basically what you're saying is that not a single one of those samples yielded anything helpful?" Nick sounded frustrated. He had hoped that at least one of the DNA samples they'd collected at the scene and off of the victim's body would give them something.

"I suppose it all depends on your perspective." Greg was trying to stay optimistic, if for no other reason than to keep his own spirits up while helping with this case.

Nick looked at Greg with a hint of annoyance on his face.

Greg continued. "We know that there was more than one perpetrator and that they were both male."

Nick exhaled loudly. "All we can prove is that two guys were in the house and that one of them pissed the cat off enough to get a nasty scratch. Without any DNA on the victim's body, and without being able to identify who the donors are, we have nothing."

When Nick and Sara had briefed Grissom on what they had found, he had pointed out that although they had DNA from the cat's claws it did not necessarily prove that they belonged to the killer of their victim 27 year old Jenna Matthews, only the likely killer of the cat. They needed something more concrete to go on that would stand up in court, provided they could identify the mystery DNA donors.

"Hey, guys." Sara walked into the DNA lab with an expectant expression.

Nick and Greg both looked up.

She held up a knife in an evidence bag as a smug smile spread across her face. "Look what I found."

Nick furrowed his brow as he looked at her. "We didn't find a knife when we processed the house."

"I went back to the scene." Her tone was defensive.

Nick's protective instinct immediately kicked in as he raised an eyebrow. "Alone?" He didn't like the idea of Sara Sidle, or any other woman for that matter, wandering around a crime scene by herself in the middle of the night, armed or not. It certainly hadn't helped Holly Gribbs any.

Sara clenched her jaw as she looked at him, not bothering to answer his question. She could tell by the tone in his voice that regardless of the possible implications that the knife held for their case that he was not happy with her for going back to the scene alone. "It was in the bushes outside the back door. It's positive for traces of human blood."

Nick raised both brows at her.

"Let's see if there's any DNA." Greg ignored the tension between Nick and Sara and reached for the bag so he could swab it for any traces of DNA.

Sara glanced at Greg and pursed her lips. "Thanks." She gave Nick a pointed stare and then headed back down the hall to the layout room. She knew that Nick had a valid concern, but she didn't really want to deal with it at the moment. She settled herself back in the layout room, studying the crime scene photos as she mulled over possible scenarios.

Nick cleared his throat as he entered the room a few minutes later. "Sara." His tone was soft, cautious.

She didn't glance up. "I don't want a lecture."

He settled himself in a chair next to her, glancing over at her before speaking again. "I just worry that's all. It's not a commentary on your skills as a CSI."

She let out a deep breath before looking over at him. "Then why is everyone being so damn protective lately?"

Nick furrowed his brow at her. "I didn't think we were." He didn't think he was treating her any differently that he'd ever treated her before.

She looked at him doubtfully. "Admit it Nick, ever since I got a gun pulled on me back in May, you've all been a little extra protective." She gave him a pointed stare. "You in particular." She turned back to the photos, hoping that Nick would drop the subject. She didn't want to be reminded of the instance where she and Detective Vartan had a suspect pull a gun on them while they were investigating a bizarre murder case. It had served to remind her of her own mortality in a much too real way.

He thought about her statement for a long moment before answering her. "Can I help it if I care about you?" Of all the CSIs, Nick tended to wear his heart on his sleeve. He and Sara had become close over the course of the last four years, and the thought of something bad happening to her bothered him a great deal.

Sara wasn't sure how to respond to his comment. She knew that he cared, he showed that he cared, but sometimes she wasn't sure how much he cared, and that made her nervous.

"I just don't want something to happen to you." There was something in the tone of his voice that implied that there was more behind it than he was willing to tell her.

She glanced up at him. "Nothing is going to happen to me." Her expression implored him to believe her, but there was an edge of fear in her eyes that he was toeing across an unspoken line set between them that she wasn't sure she wanted to cross; especially after the heartbreak that she'd experienced from allowing herself to feel something for Grissom. She'd finally gotten over that and she wasn't sure she was ready to entangle her emotions in someone else for a while.

Nick let out a frustrated sigh. "Sara, I know you think you're indestructible, but you're not."

She shook her head in protest. "No, you don't get it, Nick. I know that I'm not, I know that. But I can't let it stop me from doing my job either."

Nick knew that if he wasn't careful, they were going to be in the middle of a full blown argument, likely fuelled more by their frustration about the case than about what they were talking about, and that wouldn't help them find their victim's killer any faster. He paused and thought for a moment before responding. "I'm sorry."

Sara had been gearing herself to defend her position; his apology had been unexpected and his soft tone had thrown her off a bit.

He smiled. "I'm sorry if I overreacted." His smile turned into a smirk. "I just would hate for something to happen to my favorite CSI." His attempt to lighten the moment didn't belie the concern he felt, but he knew that if he kept pressing the issue that she'd just shut him out.

Sara couldn't help the chuckle that escaped her lips as she pursed them together. She glanced over at him and a hint of a smile pulled at the corners of her mouth. "So I'm your favorite, huh?" Her tone was both teasing and smug.

Nick replied in a flirtatious banter. "Well, now that you mention it."

Sara was about to say something in response when something in one of the crime scene photos caught her eye. "Nick." She pointed at the photo. "What do you see?"

"Is this a trick question?" He glanced at her momentarily and then he looked at the photo while his mind shifted gears, trying to see what she was seeing. He looked back at her with curiosity. "Help me out here."

She looked at him intently. "What's the first thing you do when you're getting ready to go on a trip?"

"Laundry." Nick smirked.

Sara rolled her eyes and continued. "According to her coworkers at Megasoft she was supposed to be going on a romantic vacation to Jamaica with her boyfriend, but there are no suitcases packed, no plane tickets, and no passport."

Nick nodded, locking eyes with her. "And no boyfriend."


	7. Chapter 7

"Congratulations, Ms. Willows." The doctor was smiling a bit too brightly, and in the back of her mind, Catherine wondered if this recent med school graduate had any clue about the difficulties of raising a child alone.

Catherine forced a smile onto her face as she considered the things she would have to do. Telling Lindsey was quite possibly the most difficult thing on the list.

The doctor interpreted the pasted on smile as apprehension, and tried to offer words of encouragement. "Don't worry, women your age are having children all the time now."

It was all Catherine could do to not reach out and grip the collar of the doctor's lab coat, instead she slid off of the exam table and raised a single eyebrow. "Are we done?"

An expression formed on the young doctor's face that indicated that he realized he'd somehow offended his patient. "Yes. Just schedule a follow up appointment with the receptionist, and don't hesitate to call if you have any questions."

Catherine let out a slightly amused chuckle. "I've done this before."

The doctor smiled warmly. "Ok then." He left the exam room, closing the door softly behind him.

Catherine let out a heavy sigh. Pregnant. Alone. Well, not completely alone. Warrick and Grissom both had reminded her that they were there for her. She knew that once Nick and Sara knew, they'd both be supportive, Nick would probably be protective, and Sara, well, Catherine wasn't really sure, but she'd been surprised by Sara on more than one occasion.

She quickly gathered her things and stopped by the reception desk to schedule another appointment a few weeks into the future. As she stepped outside, the sunlight assailing her eyes, she considered whether she should tell Chris at all. They had broken up because he didn't want to be held back by someone with a child, but he also had an admiration of Sam Braun that Catherine found unsettling considering what she knew of him.

Catherine barely remembered the drive back to her house and as she turned off the ignition she leaned back into the seat of her SUV and rested her hand on her abdomen, letting out a deep sigh. She was thankful that her sister hadn't questioned her request to have Lindsey spend the rest of the week with her; it wasn't that unusual, given the nature of her job.

She finally decided to pull herself out of the vehicle and head into the house. She would need to tell Grissom that her suspicions had proved to be true and she wasn't really sure how that would affect her ability to work, given that she'd already thrown up at a crime scene and couldn't seem to hold things together at the lab either.

After a leisurely shower to try and loosen the tension building in her shoulders from the stress of the last few days, she crawled into bed, not really able to fall asleep.

Several hours later, she strode purposefully into the lab, intent on talking to Grissom before the rest of the team showed up. As she neared his office, she could hear a rather intense conversation taking place.

"Well, Sheriff, since I work the night shift we didn't get the benefit of that announcement." He let out a frustrated sigh. "Yes, I understand that the same regulations apply, but unless we are informed of policy changes, how do you expect us to adhere to them?" He glanced up and noticed Catherine standing in the doorway, motioning her to come inside and close the door. "Rory, I'll be sure to brief my staff on the risks of heat exposure." He rolled his eyes. "Yes, we'll have to do that sometime." He shook his head as he ended the call, giving Catherine an exasperated look. "Does he think before he does thing? Atwater wants all of you up to speed on the risks of heat exposure because one of Ecklie's crew suffered heat stroke last week."

Catherine couldn't help the tug of a smile at her lips. "Heat exposure." She snickered.

Grissom nodded and let out a chuckle before giving Catherine a thoughtful gaze. "You went to the doctor?"

She nodded and let out a sigh, glancing down before looking at him. "Yeah. It was positive." She forced a smile onto her face, trying to stifle the fear that welled up within her.

Grissom's brows furrowed with concern. He knew Catherine well enough that this news had left her feeling very unsettled. "Are you ok with this?"

Catherine tried to keep her tone upbeat. "I'm sure I will be. I just think it's going to be difficult to tell Lindsey. I'm not sure what kind of message this is going to send her."

Grissom pursed his lips together as he processed her words.

Catherine continued. "I guess this is a very tangible consequence."

"Catherine, I know that you know this, but you do have options." Grissom meant for his words to provide her a measure of comfort.

Catherine steeled herself, she'd had a lot of opportunity to do some serious soul searching since she'd first had suspicions that she was pregnant. "Gil, right time or wrong, I'm going to go through with this. I think I've probably made some pretty stupid choices regarding men, but I know that I'm a good mom. That's one thing that I know I can do right."

Grissom's expression softened. "You a good CSI too, Catherine."

She smiled. "I know I am, but I'm a better mom."

"Whatever you decide, we're here for you." His tone implied that she was going to have to tell the rest of the nightshift team.

She nodded. "I know that." She was quiet for a moment. "Look, I don't want everyone to know quite yet. Warrick knows that I suspect that I'm pregnant, and I'm sure that Nick and Sara have their suspicions, but outside of them, I'd like to keep things under wraps until I'm a little further along."

Grissom nodded. "That's your choice."

Before he could say anything more, Catherine interjected. "And don't worry, I promise that if I'm feeling nauseous, that I'll vacate the crime scene. I wouldn't want to do anything to compromise the evidence."

As she stood to leave, Grissom spoke again. "Cath, I know I haven't always been the kind of friend you needed, but if you need anything." He left the statement open.

She smiled at him. "Gil, you've been a very good friend." She turned and left Grissom's office, heading towards the break room where she could already hear the friendly banter of Nick and Warrick discussing the preseason standings of their favorite football teams.

As she entered the room, she noticed Sara sitting at the table leafing through a forensics journal not quite paying attention to it as she seemed to find the interaction between Nick and Warrick more interesting. Taking a deep breath as concerned glances turned her way, Catherine began to tell them her news.


	8. Chapter 8

Sara was leaning over the layout table reviewing the evidence from Jenna Matthews' case for what seemed like the umpteenth time when Nick rushed in, a bit breathless but with a smile on his face. "Brass just called. PD picked the boyfriend up at the airport."

Sara glanced up a bit bleary eyed. "You driving?" She had been staring at evidence and crime scene photos so long she knew that her eyes needed a break.

Nick nodded. "I'll meet you in the parking lot." He turned and disappeared as quickly as he'd arrived.

Sara stood up and tried to work out a few of the kinks that had begun to form in her neck and headed to the locker room to get her jacket. She began to mull over various theories that the evidence would support, but nothing so far seemed to gel. There were so many facets to this case that didn't make sense, that she was convinced they didn't have all the pieces.

Nick was already behind the wheel when Sara got out to the parking lot. She climbed into the passenger seat and fastened her seatbelt just as Nick pulled out into traffic. She smirked at him. "You know he's not going anywhere."

Nick noted her barb about his hurry and just grinned. "You know you want this guy as much as I do."

"If the evidence supports that." As much as she wanted this guy to be guilty so they could wrap up the case, there was a glimmer of doubt in her mind that he really was the killer.

Nick raised a single eyebrow. "He's the best suspect we have." He knew that they would have to support any charges brought against him with evidence, but he also knew that they couldn't have detained him if they didn't have some evidence that pointed his way.

"Right now he's the only suspect we have." Sara conceded the point, but she still had a nagging doubt that there was something about this whole thing that just didn't fit.

The pair lapsed into silence for the rest of the drive to the police station each of them lost in though. As Nick pulled into a parking spot, something occurred to Sara. She glanced over at Nick with a curious expression. "Did they pick him up coming or going?"

Nick looked a bit perplexed. "Huh?"

Sara repeated herself. "Did PD pick him up leaving Vegas or returning?"

Nick furrowed his brow. "Brass didn't say." And truth be told, Nick was so excited that they'd found their suspect that he hadn't asked either, but now that Sara mentioned it, he began to wonder himself. Either option spoke volumes about the probability of his guilt.

Sara pursed her lips together momentarily and nodded.

Nick smiled at her. "Hey, if he's innocent, the evidence will support that."

Sara had to chuckle softly; Nick's ability to read her mind at times was both comforting and a bit unsettling. She glanced over at him and smirked. "And if he's guilty, the evidence will nail his ass to the wall."

"Let's do this." Nick grinned at her. Of all the CSIs, he enjoyed working with her the most. The friendly competition between them served to push them both to think smarter and work harder, and he also just really enjoyed being around her.

They made their way into the police department in search of Brass. When they located the homicide detective, he looked frazzled. Nick looked at him curiously. "Jim?"

Brass flashed them both a sardonic grin. "We have a little twist."

"What's that?" Sara furrowed her brow.

"When we picked up Kevin Parker he wasn't alone." Brass pursed his lips together.

Nick's eyebrows arched upwards. "So what, he dumped Jenna for someone else?"

Brass smirked. "That's our twist."

Nick and Sara exchanged a confused glance.

"The woman he was with when we picked him up says that she's Jenna Matthews." Brass gestured towards the interrogation room.

Sara shook her head in confusion. "I don't understand. We did a DNA profile based on a known sample."

Brass gestured for them to follow. "I think it'll be clear in a moment."

As Nick and Sara entered the viewing area of the interrogation room, a very distraught woman who bore a striking resemblance to their victim sat at the table on the other side of the glass.

Brass gestured towards the glass. "This is Jenna Matthews, or rather Jenna Parker. Apparently, the reason she didn't return from Jamaica on schedule is because Kevin and Jenna decided to tie the knot while they were there. Our victim is her identical twin sister Camille."

Nick nodded his head in understanding. "Twins. Same DNA different finger prints."

"Kevin and Jenna were both in Jamaica at the time of the murder. Confirmed by United Airlines and the Immigration Service. Apparently, Camille was watching Jenna's cat while they were gone." Brass informed them.

Sara furrowed her brow. "So we're back to square one." At least this new information explained why they hadn't found suitcases, plane tickets, or a passport.

Brass nodded. "That's the way it seems."

Nick gestured towards the window. "Did she give any indication who might want to hurt her sister?" His mind was already shifting gears to try and approach things from another direction now that one possibility had clearly been elimated.

Brass shook his head.

Sara crossed her arms across her chest as she studied Jenna. "Maybe whoever did this thought Camille was Jenna."

Brass nodded. "We're looking into the possibility as well."

Nick glanced over at the expression on Sara's face. "Brass, I think Sara's right. If the killer hadn't killed the cat too, I'd say it might have more to do with Camille, but I think Jenna was the real target."

Brass considered the CSIs opinions for a moment and then nodded. "You just may be right."

Sara continued studying Jenna. "I still think that the cat is the key. You don't just kill a pet in the same way you kill it's owner unless you're trying to send a message. If Kevin Parker isn't the killer, then who else had access to her house and who else was that familiar with her cat?"


	9. Chapter 9

Catherine and Warrick were working slowly and methodically as they processed the scene of a smash and grab. It was a slow night in Vegas and Catherine at least was thankful. Without the odor of body fluids to assault her senses, she had managed to not throw up the entire shift thus far.

Warrick glanced over at her curiously. "Cath?"

She looked up from where she was dusting the remains of a glass display case for fingerprints. "Yeah?"

"Are you going to tell him?" Warrick was concerned for his friend and he knew her propensity to be independent and want to do things on her own. As much as he knew that she didn't think Chris was the fatherly type, Warrick knew that if it had been him, he would want to know.

She furrowed her brow. "I don't know." She continued dusting for prints. "He's just not the kind of guy that I'd want to have to be around forever. Of course, it's not like Ed really was either." She glanced up at Warrick again. "I guess you can't really choose who you fall for."

Warrick was never one to back away from tough questions. "Did you love Chris?"

Catherine let out a heavy sigh. "I don't know if I would call it 'love." She chuckled. "Lust definitely. That man was good." Her tone became more serious. "But one of the reasons things didn't go any further with us than they did was because he was a little too excited that Sam Braun was my father."

Warrick looked confused. "You told him?"

Catherine shook her head. "No. We were out one night and we ran into Sam. He volunteered the information."

"And that's why you never let him meet Lindsey?" Warrick was trying to put the pieces together.

She smiled softly. "Something like that." She met Warrick's eyes across the display case. "Sam Braun is a part of my past that I can't change and I don't want to get drawn back into that."

"You're not that woman, Cath." Warrick assured her.

"I know that, and you know that, but there are some people in town that won't let it go." Catherine took a few photographs of the prints she'd been able to raise on the glass.

Warrick studied her for a few moments. "It's too bad I'm not a little bit older."

Catherine looked up at him with a slightly bewildered expression as a smile played at her lips. "You afraid of an older woman?"

Warrick chuckled softly and shook his head. "You're the hottest woman I know, Cath."

Catherine shook her head and turned back to processing the scene, smiling at how Warrick knew just how to boost her ego. "Yeah, well now I'm a hot pregnant woman. I thought Nick was going to choke on his coffee when I told all of you."

Warrick chortled. "I think some of it came out his nose."

"Sara was pretty quiet." Catherine commented as she applied lifting tape to one of the prints.

"Yeah, she was." Warrick considered that for a moment. As much as Sara had become more like her old self, there was still something telling him that deep down things still weren't quite right.

"Although, she didn't seem too surprised." Catherine quipped as she lifted another print.

Warrick chuckled. "You did throw up in front of her."

They lapsed into silence for a while as they continued to work the scene, Catherine finishing up on the broken display case. "I'm done." She glanced over at Warrick who was dropping something into a bindle.

"Yeah, me too." He stowed the bindle into his kit and stood up. As they gathered up the rest of the evidence they had collected, they headed out to Warrick's Denali.

Catherine glanced over at him as they stowed their kits in the back of the truck. "Hey, Rick, can I ask you something?"

He smiled at her. "You know you can." He shut the back of the rig and leaned back against it.

Catherine tilted her head slightly. "What would you do?"

He pursed his lips together. "About Chris you mean?"

She nodded.

Warrick put his hands in his pockets. "If it were me, I'd want to know." His expression was soft. "But then, I like kids."

"So you think I should tell him." Catherine considered his words.

Warrick shook his head. "I didn't say that. I just know that if it was me, I'd want to know."

She let out a deep sigh. "Maybe I should."

"Then again, you didn't want him meeting Lindsey." He studied her for a moment. "Maybe there's a deeper reason for that."

Catherine furrowed her brow and nodded. After a long moment a smirk played across her face and she looked at Warrick out of the corner of her eye. "It's too bad you're not a little bit older."

Warrick let out a chuckle. "Are you afraid of a younger man?"

"Not at all." She grinned.

"Whatever you decide to do about Chris, I'm here for you. I hope you know that." He put an arm around her shoulder, giving her a quick hug and kissing the top of her head.

"I know." Catherine smiled as she pulled away.

After returning to the lab and checking in the evidence, Catherine headed to the break room in search of something to drink.

Sara was sitting on the couch with her eyes closed holding a cup of coffee in her hands.

Catherine looked at her quizzically. "You ok, Sara?"

Sara seemed a bit startled as she looked up at Catherine. "Yeah. I guess I'm just tired."

Catherine invoked a motherly look. "When did you sleep last?" She could tell that Sara was beyond exhausted.

The younger CSI had a slightly blank expression on her face. "I'm not sure."

Catherine smirked. "You know you loose your edge after the first sixteen hours."

Sara nodded. "Thanks for the concern, Cath."

"Seriously, Sara, you need to catch some sleep. You're not going to be any good to your case." Catherine dipped a bag of peppermint tea in a cup of hot water.

Sara let out a resigned sigh and leaned back into the couch. "We have no suspects and no leads."

Catherine looked at her quizzically. "I thought you suspected the boyfriend."

Sara set her cup of coffee down on the table in front of the couch and looked up at Catherine. "Our vic wasn't our vic. She was in Jamaica eloping with her boyfriend. Our vic was her identical twin sister."

"Well that's a twist." Catherine sat down on the couch next to Sara and put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Sara, I'm sure that you and Nicky will figure this out, but right now, you're not doing yourself, your case, or your victim any good by working yourself into an exhausted state."

"I know." Sara rubbed her temples.

Catherine studied her demeanor for a moment. "Sara, is the case all that's bothering you?"

There was something in Catherine's tone that made Sara look over and speak the words she'd wanted to say to someone for quite a while. "No."


	10. Chapter 10

As soon as the word 'no' left her mouth, Sara regretted it. She was not accustomed to opening up to people until she trusted them, and although she knew intellectually that Catherine was trustworthy, to actually trust her meant she had to take a risk that her assessment might be incorrect.

Catherine watched the conflicted emotions on Sara's face. "You want to talk about it?"

Sara hesitated. Part of her wanted to talk to someone, but another part of her was so well practiced at keeping things tightly wound up inside, away from prying eyes, that she felt as if she stood on the edge of a precipice and was contemplating taking a step off.

Catherine ventured a guess. "Did Grissom do something?" It seemed to her that Grissom was always doing something to put Sara out of sorts; he'd been doing it since she'd arrived in Vegas four years before. They seemed to do this elaborate dance around each other, and just at the moment when you'd expect Grissom to step forward, he'd step off the dance floor altogether, leaving Sara there alone.

"Uh, no." Sara truly had gotten past the feelings that she'd held for Grissom; it had become a necessity to survive in Vegas, and it felt good too. She noticed Catherine's doubtful look and let out a soft chuckle. "Really, Cath. It's not about him."

"You're not planning on leaving are you?" Catherine knew that Sara had threatened to quit on more than one occasion since coming to Vegas and while it was true that the lab needed her, it was truer the that team as a whole needed her, and Catherine for one wouldn't let Sara leave without a fight.

Sara smirked and looked at Catherine full in the face. "I'm not quitting, and it's not about Grissom." She let out a sigh. "Look, Cath, I need to get back to my case." She pulled herself off of the couch, stretching a bit before reaching down to pick up her now empty coffee cup.

"Sara." Catherine had a serious tone in her voice.

Sara looked down. "Yeah?"

"If you need someone to talk to, my door's always open." Catherine smiled.

"Thanks." Sara gave her a tired smile in return before taking her coffee cup over to the sink and heading out of the break room and down the hall in search of Nick.

He was sitting on a stool in front of a layout table hunched over a file. As Sara walked in, he glanced up. A tentative smile flickered across his face. "Hey."

"Hey. Find anything?" Sara took a seat on the stool next to him, trying to stifle a yawn.

Nick shook his head. "Not yet." He furrowed his brow. "You didn't sleep."

Sara let out a frustrated sigh as she met his concerned gaze. "The break room really isn't conducive to sleeping. I had coffee."

Nick tried to keep the overt concern out of his voice with difficulty as he studied her features. "You could take the rest of the night off and go home and get some sleep."

Hurt flashed across Sara's face. "I can do my job."

Nick reached over and touched her shoulder. "We're at a dead end, Sar. Until we get the phone records there isn't much more we can do. You need some sleep." At that moment he didn't care if she thought he was being too concerned.

She wanted to be defensive, but she was too tired. She looked him in the eye and the compassion she found there helped her give in. What she couldn't bring herself to tell Catherine, she felt that maybe she could tell Nick. Of all the people she worked with, it was him that she felt the closest to. "I can't."

Nick wasn't sure what she meant exactly. His tone was gentle. "What do you mean you can't?" He knew that by reputation Sara didn't get a lot of sleep, but he suspected that there was probably more to the story than any of them knew.

"Sleep." Sara's expression was clouded. "I can't sleep." She wasn't sure how to put into words why she couldn't sleep, but for some reason she thought that maybe Nick might understand.

Nick ventured a guess. "Nightmares?"

Sara felt a hint of relief that he just knew, and she nodded her head. "Yeah." She studied the top of the layout table.

"Do you get them very often?" He had experienced them himself and for him they came in waves. There could be long periods where he could sleep just fine and then after a particularly trying case or near the anniversaries of certain events in his life, they'd come in with hurricane force and then slowly peter out.

Sara glanced up and studied him for a moment. There was just something about the tone of his voice that caused her investigative instincts to kick in. "You get them too, don't you?"

He nodded, knowing that she probably assumed that it stemmed from him being stalked by Nigel Crane. "Yeah. I think it comes with the territory in this job."

Sara looked at him with concern. "I'm sorry." She knew how troubled her dreams made her and knowing that her friend had them too was only partially comforting. She wondered how many times she'd been irritated at Nick for being sleep deprived at work, assuming that he'd been with another girlfriend in what she assumed was a long line, when in reality he'd been having nightmares.

Nick let out a soft chuckle. "They aren't your fault."

Sara smiled in spite of herself, thankful that he didn't really understand what she was saying sorry for. "Yeah, well, I wouldn't wish them on anyone."

Nick elbowed her. "Is that your way of saying you care about me?" He was teasing her, but there was some truth to his statement. He and Sara were close and yet he knew that she had difficulty vocalizing to people how she felt about them.

Sara smirked at him.

"Ah, it is." He grinned at her good-naturedly. "Admit it, I'm your favorite."

Sara couldn't help but snicker at his attempt to lighten the moment.

"I still think you need to go home and try to get some sleep. This case isn't going anywhere." Nick raised a single eyebrow at her to emphasize his point.

Sara let out a resigned sigh and looked into his eyes.

Before she could say anything in response, he continued. "If you think it would help, I could crash on your couch so you're not alone."

Sara looked like she was seriously considering taking him up on his offer.

Nick studied her as he continued talking. "I just know that it helped a lot when my sister Lisa came up and stayed with me for a little while after what happened with Nigel Crane. That way if you wake up, you've got someone to talk to."

Sara couldn't help the smile that began to tug at the corners of her mouth as she slid off of her stool. "Thanks, Nick." She startled Nick a little as she gave him a quick hug. "I think I'd like that."

Before she could step away, he returned the hug, holding her there for just a moment longer. "Anytime, Sara, anytime."


	11. Chapter 11

Sara couldn't seem to run fast enough. Her feet pounded the pavement and her heart raced as she gasped for breath trying to outrun her pursuer in the darkness. With every step the footsteps behind her seemed to get closer. If she could just run a bit faster then maybe she could get away. All too soon, she felt something grab her around her ankles as she tumbled to the ground.

She woke with a start and sat straight up in bed gasping for breath, her heart still racing. She hadn't realized that she'd screamed until a few moments later when she heard a soft tap on her door as a groggy but concerned Nick slowly pushed her bedroom door open.

"Sara?" His voice was gentle and he approached her carefully, wanting to make sure she was really awake so he didn't scare her.

She looked up at him wide-eyed still trying to catch her breath.

Nick tentatively sat down on the edge of her bed. "You ok?" He tried to keep his tone soft.

Sara's heart rate was slowing but her breathing was still labored.

Nick reached out and touched her arm. "Do you want to talk about it?" He knew from personal experience that sometimes talking it out helped.

As Sara's breathing began to slow to a normal rate, she considered whether she really did want to talk about it.

Nick smiled softly at her. "You screamed pretty loud, Sar." He gave her arm a squeeze.

As much as she was thankful that Nick was there, she realized that by allowing him to be there, she'd opened herself up farther than she'd realized. When she'd accepted his offer for him to sleep on her couch in case she had another nightmare, the idea was comforting, but now that he was here and reality began to seep in, she realized that she might have to talk about what it was that was causing them, and she wasn't sure that she was ready for that.

Nick could see the inner turmoil reflected on her face. "Hey, you don't have to tell me about it if you don't want to." He understood very clearly how hard it was to reveal your inmost torment, and he knew that pushing Sara would just cause her to push it down even deeper. "Sometimes it helps though."

She blurted out her words. "I couldn't get away." There was a pained expression behind her eyes that spoke volumes to Nick. She wanted to trust him and she felt like if she could explain at least a little bit that maybe he wouldn't push her to tell him everything. "I was running, and I couldn't get away."

Nick rubbed his thumb across her arm in a soothing gesture.

"Something was around my ankles and I fell." She seemed to be breathing more labored again. "They caught me."

"Shh." Nick furrowed his brow and reached out and pulled her into a hug. "You're ok, Sara. I've got you. No one's going to hurt you." He rubbed her back as he felt her relax against him. "It's ok. I won't let anyone hurt you."

The security of Nick's arms was so comforting and felt so safe; Sara just wanted to linger there. She finally pulled away a few minutes later and looked him in the eye. "Thanks, Nick."

He grinned. "That's what I'm here for." He raised both eyebrows in concern. "Do you think you're going to be able to go back to sleep?"

A flash of fear shot through Sara's eyes and she swallowed hard.

Nick noted her expression and reached up and began to stroke her hair. "Sometimes when I can't sleep a drink or two helps."

Sara shook her head. "I can't."

Nick looked at her quizzically.

Sara felt vulnerable as she spoke. "About three months ago I got pulled over for DUI; they called Grissom to pick me up. Technically, I probably should have been cited, but the law had just changed so they cut me some slack because I'm a CSI."

Nick didn't say anything, he just continued to stroke her hair.

Sara bit her lower lip before she looked into his eyes. "It was that night that I went out with you and Warrick to celebrate you getting the promotion."

Nick winced in surprise. "I didn't think you were drunk." His voice was a whisper.

"I didn't go home right away." Sara confessed. "I stopped for a couple more drinks."

"I'm sorry." Nick's expression held remorse.

Sara looked startled. "What are you sorry for?"

Nick furrowed his brow. "For being too wrapped up in myself to not notice that you needed a friend. For gloating about getting the promotion that wasn't."

Sara shook her head. "You deserved that promotion; you worked your ass off."

"I'm still sorry that I didn't notice that you needed a friend that night. Maybe if I had, you wouldn't have gotten pulled over." He knew he couldn't change the past, but as he thought back, he realized that there were signs all over the place that she needed a friend.

"It's not your fault." Sara didn't want him to feel guilty over something that she had already come to terms with as being her fault.

Nick let out a deep breath. "I wasn't the kind of friend I should have been, and I'm sorry for that."

"You're here now." Sara answered softly.

Nick's thoughts returned to why he was there in the first place. "Yeah, I am." He pulled her into another hug. "I care about you, Sara."

Sara stiffened slightly and then relaxed. "I know." She wanted to let him in, to let him care without her putting a wall up. She knew that his feelings went deeper than friendship, but she just wasn't sure she was ready to go there quite yet and allow her heart to risk being broken again.

Nick hugged her tightly for a quick moment and then released her from his embrace. "I should let you try and go back to sleep." He moved to stand up.

"Nick?" Sara looked up at him with a hint of a smile on her face.

"Yeah?" Nick looked at her expectantly.

A genuine smile spread across her face. "Thank you." She cleared her throat. "For being here."

He smiled. "I'll always be here for you, Sara." He turned and left her room, closing the door softly behind him.

Sara lay back down, gathering her pillow in her arms as she closed her eyes and slowly drifted back to sleep.


	12. Chapter 12

Greg Sanders had a slightly nervous expression on his face as he approached Catherine who was sitting at the break room table. "Hey, Catherine."

She glanced up and smiled, quickly furrowing her brow as she took in Greg's expression. "Greg." Her tone was dry, and perhaps a bit suspicious.

Greg cleared his throat. "Now I know that I'm not officially a CSI yet, but I have noticed a few things."

Catherine raised a single eyebrow unsure of where this conversation was going. "Ok." Her tone was skeptical.

Greg continued, albeit nervously. "You seem to have switched from coffee to tea. Herbal tea. Tea which lacks caffeine, which seems to me is essential for CSIs in general."

"Your point?" Catherine wasn't going to give up any information that Greg did not already have.

"Now I could assume that you're just cutting back on caffeine, but we're not supposed to assume anything. However, I also know that in the last week you've thrown up at a crime scene and you've thrown up in the hallway." Greg studied her to try and gauge her reaction.

"So I've been under the weather and I've been drinking tea which is easier on the stomach." Catherine's tone clearly implied that she wanted him to get to his conclusion quickly.

Greg smiled tentatively. "Well I've known you to work even when you're sick, and that's never stopped you from drinking my special blend of Blue Hawaiian."

Catherine let out a chuckle.

"So the evidence I do have leads me to wonder if you are with child." Greg looked smug.

Catherine didn't feel like stringing him along any longer. "Yeah, I am."

Greg looked pleased that his observations had proved correct. "How come you're keeping it a secret?"

She smiled genuinely at him. "It's not exactly a secret."

"I didn't know." Greg implied that he felt that maybe he should have been told.

Catherine responded kindly and smiled. "I didn't want the whole lab to know just yet."

"Since when am I the whole lab?" There was no malice in his statement, he simply felt that he was part of the group and his guess was that the rest of the CSIs knew about her secret already.

Catherine had a thoughtful expression on her face. "Good point." She nodded at Greg. "You're part of the team and you should have known, but I'll give you points for figuring it out on your own. When I told Nick I think coffee came out his nose."

Greg seemed to gloat. "My man Nick isn't so swift on the uptake."

Catherine chuckled and glancing around lowered her voice to a conspiratorial tone. "I just think his mind has been little preoccupied lately."

Greg arched both brows quizzically and then the light dawned. "Ah, Sara."

Catherine nodded.

Greg had a look of consternation on his face. "I think the jury is still out." There was a hint of hope in his voice.

Catherine tried to restrain her smile at Greg's obliviousness to his coworkers' state of mind. "Uh, it might be out for Sara at the moment, but I'm pretty sure that Nick already knows what he wants."

"What do I want?" Nick walked in, only hearing the last half of Catherine's statement.

Greg pasted on a grin. "My coffee." He gestured towards the coffee machine which appeared to have a sludge-like substance left by the dayshift.

Nick cocked an eyebrow. "You're slipping bro."

Catherine turned her attention back to her cup of tea and smiled as Nick bent and kissed her on the cheek before whispering in her ear. "How is my favorite pregnant CSI?"

Catherine chuckled. "I'm fine. Greg knows."

Nick straightened up and looked at her quizzically.

"He guessed." Catherine smirked.

"Hey, I would have figured it out eventually too. I just didn't expect to hear that just then." Nick puffed his chest out a little bit.

"Down boy. I'll let you come over and change diapers." Catherine was amused by Nick's subtle need to compete with Greg.

"Well, I've certainly had plenty of practice." He chuckled. "Not recently, but with all of my nieces and nephews I've had plenty of opportunity." He bent down again and whispered conspiratorially to Catherine's abdomen. "Just remember, Uncle Nick is your favorite." He grinned as both Catherine and Greg started to laugh.

"Someone's in a good mood." Greg's tone held a challenge.

Nick just laughed in response, shaking his head as he reached for the coffee pot to wash out the remnants of the dayshift coffee, gesturing to Greg. "I thought someone promised some decent coffee."

Catherine made a mental note to ask Nick about his more cheerful than normal demeanor as Greg walked out to retrieve his secret stash until Sara walked in looking far more rested than she had in a long time and with a smile on her face. Surprise registered subtly on Catherine's face as she watched Nick and Sara exchange a few glances that seemed to communicate volumes and the veteran CSI wondered exactly what had changed between them because it was evident to her that something had.

Sara smiled at Catherine with concern. "How are you feeling?"

Catherine gestured towards her tea. "Well, there's a reason it's called morning sickness."

Sara furrowed her brow at the thought. "How long is it supposed to last?"

"Every woman is different and every pregnancy is different. With Lindsey it only lasted for the first couple of months." She smirked. "I can only hope it doesn't go beyond that."

Nick looked at Catherine curiously. "So what does Lindsey think about having a sibling?"

Catherine looked at Nick and then Sara with as brave an expression as she could muster. "She doesn't actually know yet. She's been at my sister's all week because of day camp. She comes home tomorrow. I've been trying to figure out how to tell her."

Nick and Sara exchanged a glance, and surprisingly it was Sara who spoke. "Cath, you're a great mom; if anyone can do this, you can."


	13. Chapter 13

"So according to what Brass found out, Camille actually lives in LA and came out to job hunt on her vacation, which happened to coincide with Jenna's vacation to Jamaica." Sara was reviewing the transcripts from the interviews that Brass had conducted.

"So that probably rules out her being the actual target and puts it back on Jenna, especially when we consider the cat factor." Nick agreed.

Sara studied the file for a long moment and let out a deep sigh, sitting back in her chair as she glanced at Nick across the conference room table. "We still have nothing." She looked frustrated.

Nick flipped through the file he had in front of him and pursed his lips together. "Well, we do have a list of people that Jenna said were familiar enough with her cat to get close to it." He shook his head and glanced up at Sara with a wry expression. "I guess this cat was friendlier than yours was." He pushed the file across the table so she could see the list.

Sara began to read the names, looking for something that might make one of them stick out from the rest. "Well we can eliminate Kevin Parker." She glanced up. "Has Brass interviewed anyone else on the list?"

Nick shrugged his shoulders. "I believe he's got an officer on this, but when he gave this to me he didn't have anything to tell."

Sara closed her eyes and rolled her neck to try and loosen the tension that was forming in her muscles.

"You ok?" Nick's voice was laced with concern.

She nodded, not opening her eyes. "Yeah, I just wish we could catch a break in this case."

"Hey." Nick leaned forward and reached across the table, putting his hand over hers.

Sara's eyes snapped open and they locked with his. She swallowed hard and tried to act relaxed. "What?"

"We'll get whoever this is. Ok." He smiled at her and gave her hand a squeeze before letting it go. "Now how are you?"

She smiled softly, shaking her head. "I'm ok, Nick." She really didn't want him to press the issue, but she knew that he was perceptive enough to know that she really wasn't herself on this case. There was just something about it that bothered her more than most cases did.

Nick's expression was earnest. "You can trust me. I hope you know that." There was more behind Nick's statement than even he was willing to articulate. He had been hinting at his feelings for her for some time, but he sensed that she wasn't ready and he didn't want to push her away. Still, it was becoming more and more difficult for him to pretend that he didn't care for her very deeply.

Sara glanced away for a moment. "It's not that I don't trust you." There was doubt in her voice and she knew that he knew that she wasn't just talking about this case or even her nightmares. She just wasn't ready to fully trust someone with her heart, but it wasn't because she didn't want to; she was scared.

"Did you sleep ok after I went back out to the couch?" He'd had a hard time himself going back to sleep because he was worried about her, but after the first hour, he'd finally allowed himself to relax and close his eyes.

A smile played at the corners of her mouth as she looked back down at the file. "Yeah, I did. No more nightmares after that."

Nick cleared his throat. "Do you want me to sleep over again?" He looked at her expectantly.

Sara couldn't help but giggle at his comment and she smirked as she looked at him in an effort to keep from blushing. "It's a good thing no one else is here or they might get the wrong idea."

He sat back in his chair and smirked. "Just because you don't want the whole lab to know you want me."

She looked back at the file and tried to keep a straight face. "Just keep telling yourself that."

Somehow this flirtatious banter they'd engaged in over the last four years was as comfortable as a favorite pair of blue jeans. Neither one of them had ever read anything more into it than it was, but even so, there was an undercurrent of change going on between them and Sara was in control of the rudder that could change the direction of their friendship into something deeper.

"Uh, Grissom told me to see if you two needed any help with your case." Greg stood in the doorway with an expectant expression on his face and a sheaf of papers in his hand.

Nick and Sara exchanged a glance, both wondering just how long Greg had been standing there.

Greg's brow furrowed. "Otherwise I could go out in the field with Warrick."

"We're sort of at a standstill, Greg. You might have more to do if you went with Warrick." Sara looked at him apologetically.

"Standstill, huh?" Greg cleared his throat. "I heard about the twin thing. Weird."

"Yeah, it's complicated things." Nick added noting that Greg's demeanor indicated he had more to say.

"I went to high school with these twins. Very hot. They always seemed to be joined at the hip. What a date that would have been." Greg grinned at Sara who by her expression seemed to already be getting impatient with his rambling. "Anyway, they were close, even dated some of same guys. One time it was the same guy at the same time, only he didn't know about it until later. He thought they were the same girl."

Nick raised an eyebrow. "So you think that maybe our killer might have dated both twins at one point?"

"You never know. I mean, a guy thinks he's dating one and it ends up being the other." Greg left his statement hanging in the air.

"But she's already dating someone pretty seriously." Sara added thoughtfully.

"But how many of them were around her cat if Camille was just visiting?" Nick was mulling over Greg's theory trying to see if there might be any merit to it. As it was, they had nothing else to go on.

Greg interjected and held out the papers in his hand. "Brass had these sent over. According to this, Camille was over here about every weekend, so it's quite possible that she had plenty of time to date Jenna's boyfriends."

Nick took the information that Greg handed him and began to leaf through the pages. "Curious that she would fly instead of drive. That's got to get expensive."

"This is interesting." Sara read back down the list of names that Jenna had provided to them.

Nick and Greg both looked in her direction.

She looked up. "What do you do when you're pet sitting and something goes wrong with the cat?"

"You call the vet." Nick answered without missing a beat, a curious smile beginning to spread across his face.

"And so are we." Sara gave Nick a satisfied grin.


	14. Chapter 14

"Well that was a wasted trip." Sara groused at the fact that they didn't seem to be getting anywhere in their case.

"Well, we know that she took the cat in right before she left on vacation." Nick was equally frustrated but he was trying not to let it show.

"So pretty much anyone at the vet knew that Jenna was going on vacation." She glanced over at Nick as he drove back towards the lab. "Dr. Foubar was a little creepy."

Nick smiled at her. "Why do you say that?"

She rolled her eyes in frustration. "He kept staring."

Nick didn't miss a beat. "Only because you're so beautiful."

His statement threw her off a little bit and a smile played at her lips as she felt her cheeks redden.

"It's true, Sara." He grinned at her discomfort. "I think Colin the vet tech was the creepy one. He was kind of leering at you when you weren't looking."

Sara's eyes snapped to his. "How old do you think that guy is?"

Nick looked at her mischievously. "A little young for you don't you think?" He raised an eyebrow at her and tried to keep from smiling.

Sara reached over and smacked his arm. "You're not funny." She let out a soft chuckle in spite of her comment.

"Oh, so you do like him." Nick continued to tease her. "And here I thought that you and the vet were going to hook up."

"Nick, I'm serious." She didn't sound serious as she tried to keep from laughing.

Nick grinned. "He's probably about 25, the vet tech that is."

"That's around Jenna age." Sara began to consider several options. "Maybe she turned Colin down."

"Attractive girls turn down ordinary looking guys all the time." Nick nodded as he began to play out several scenarios in his mind.

"But if everyone at the vet's office knew Jenna was going to be out of town, why would Colin go to her home?" Sara didn't think things were adding up.

"Maybe not everyone knew at the time. They all know now because of the coverage Camille's murder has gotten on the news, but maybe he thought he'd stop by and ask her out." Nick suggested.

Sara furrowed her brow. "It doesn't make sense. I mean, if she brushes him off at the vet's office, why go over to her house to get turned down again?"

Suddenly and idea hit Nick. "We need to look at Jenna's phone records again."

"But we already checked her incoming calls and none of those leads panned out." Sara wasn't completely following him.

"I want to see the outgoing calls." Nick glanced over at Sara and smiled as understanding spread across her face.

"If Camille called the vet's office, he might not have known that it wasn't Jenna." Sara added.

"And maybe he decided to pay Jenna a house call." Nick agreed.

* * *

Catherine was pacing back and forth in Grissom's office as she recounted what had happened when she'd tried to break the news to Lindsey. "I just couldn't do it." She glanced up at him where he sat watching her from behind his desk. "I mentioned that I'd been dating someone and that upset her more than I would have imagined. She stormed out of the room before I had a chance to tell her that I was pregnant."

"I'm sure she'll come around." Grissom was at a loss to know how to reassure Catherine. He did not envy the situation she was in, but he was going to do his best to be her friend and offer her as much support as she needed.

"Gil, the idea of me having sex with anyone creeps her out." Catherine furrowed her brow in disbelief. "When did she grow into this preteen who hates me?"

"She doesn't hate you." Grissom had never seen Catherine quite like this. She knew that Catherine and Lindsey were close, but he also knew that Lindsey was just as headstrong as her mother.

"What am I doing?" There was a look of incredulity on Catherine's face. The whole situation had left her feeling very unsettled.

Grissom looked at her quizzically, he wasn't sure what she meant.

"I am a lousy judge of character when it comes to men and now my daughter hates me." Catherine seemed to be riding a hormonal roller coaster.

"Cath, Lindsey doesn't hate you." Grissom knew that there was usually a phase that kids went through when trying to assert their independence. He was thankful that he didn't have any children of his own because he wasn't sure he'd be able to handle them.

"When have I ever picked a guy that I'd be proud enough of to bring home to meet my daughter?" She looked at Grissom intensely and noticed his flustered expression. "Wait, don't answer that, I think I know the answer." She let out a frustrated sigh.

"So you've made some mistakes. Everyone does." Grissom hoped that he sounded sincere as he did his best to try and reassure her.

Catherine suddenly had the desire to run to the restroom before her dinner made an encore appearance. She bolted for the door. "Excuse me."

She knocked into Greg, almost knocking him over, and barely missed Nick and Sara who had just walked into the lab, as she dashed down the hallway and into the ladies room, just barely making it into a stall before expelling the contents of her stomach into the bowl. She was still heaving and didn't notice when the door to the restroom creaked open until there was a soft knock at the stall door.

"Cath?" Sara sounded concerned.

"I'm fine." Catherine really didn't sound fine. But she wiped her mouth off and straightened up as she exited the stall, walking over to the sink so she could rinse her mouth out.

Sara's brow furrowed. "You don't look so good." From Sara's estimation, Catherine didn't look quite right.

"Just morning sickness." Catherine pasted a smile on her face, feeling anything but well.

"Are you sure?" Sara's concerned deepened as she watched the color drain from Catherine's face.

Catherine tried to nod as a wave of dizziness hit her and then everything went black.


	15. Chapter 15

Sara was exhausted; she wasn't sure how long she'd been sitting in the utilitarian chair in the waiting room for the OR at Desert Palm Hospital. It wasn't until a pair of strong hands began to gently knead her shoulders that she realized just how tense she was as well.

Nick leaned down and whispered in her ear. "I just talked to Catherine's sister and she said it could be a while until we know something. Let me take you home so you can get some sleep. Grissom and Greg have already gone. Warrick's going to stay here."

She knew that he was right, but she was worried about Catherine; she was the one that had been there when she had collapsed in the restroom and now the veteran CSI was undergoing emergency surgery and any information for people who weren't family had been scarce. She let out a deep sigh and nodded. As she stood up, she noticed the tender expression on Nick's face. She furrowed her brow as she felt him take her hand. Her voice was just a whisper as she looked into his eyes. "Will you stay with me?"

He smiled at her softly. "I was planning on it." He didn't let go of her hand as they made their way out of the hospital.

Sara was quiet during the drive to her apartment staring out the window and seemingly lost in thought.

As they entered her apartment, Nick hung his jacket on the back of one of her dining room chairs. "Are you hungry, Sar?"

She shook her head, wrapping her arms around her body. "No not really." This despite the fact that they really hadn't eaten much besides vending machine food and coffee at the hospital.

Concern flickered across Nick's face and he stepped towards her, putting his hands on her shoulders. "You ok?"

Sara wasn't sure what she was feeling at the moment. "I'm really tired, Nick. I think I just want to go to sleep."

Nick saw the conflicted emotions on her face and smiled. "Ok, I'll be out here if you need me."

Sara wasn't really sure where the words came from. "Would you just hold me for a while? I don't want to be alone." Tears began sliding down her face.

Nick sensed that there was a whole lot more going on inside of Sara than worry over Catherine's condition. He pulled her into his arms and rested his cheek on the top of her head. "Hey, it's ok. I'm here for you."

They stood like that for a long few minutes until Sara had composed herself a bit and then they made their way into her room, settling themselves on her bed. Sara nestled herself against Nick and allowed him to wrap his arms around her. The security of his embrace made her feel like she could open up a little bit. "I wonder if Catherine is scared."

Nick rubbed her back. "She probably won't remember anything about passing out."

"I mean scared about losing the baby." Sara had a slight hitch in her voice. "You should have seen her face, Nick."

"Hey, I'm sure she'll be ok." Nick tried to reassure her, but he wasn't totally convinced himself. He had talked to Catherine's sister and knew that most likely if the doctors couldn't stop the hemorrhaging that she could lose the baby altogether and even though she hadn't planned the pregnancy, she had been determined to see it through and do it right.

"I don't know." Sara sniffled. "She really didn't look good, and there was so much blood."

Nick was quiet for a moment as he stroked her cheek. "She's got good doctors."

Sara was quiet for a long time, just relaxing against Nick, taking security from the rise and fall of his chest. "Can I ask you something?"

"Yeah. Anything." He could tell by the tone of her voice that she was hesitant to ask him whatever it was.

She took a couple of deep breaths before she spoke. "What would you do if someone you dated got pregnant?" Her voice was laced with fear.

Nick wondered to himself if this was one of the reasons that she seemed to be holding back from things between them going any further. He stroked her hair. "I've never been in that situation, but if it happened, I'd stand by her."

"What if it wasn't your child?" Sara's voice had a hitch in it.

Nick sensed that she wasn't really talking about a hypothetical situation, but he wasn't quite sure where she was going with this. "Well, I don't know. I mean if she'd cheated, I think there would be bigger issues going on, you know. But if it happened before I started dating her that would be different. I guess it would just depend on the circumstances." Nick sounded confused and he wasn't sure if he was answering Sara's question, or even what the real question was.

Sara paused for a long moment and closed her eyes before she continued. Her voice was barely audible. "What if she was raped, and that's why she got pregnant?"

Nick whispered in return, keeping his tone gentle. "Sara, did that happen to you?"

Her body tensed and then began to relax as she started to cry. Nick just held onto her, rubbing her back and making soothing noises.

Sara finally spoke again after a very long time. "He didn't believe me because I was too afraid to report it. He thought I'd cheated on him and he didn't want anything to do with me after I found out that I was pregnant, and then one morning shortly after that I felt a lot of cramping and then next thing I knew I was having a miscarriage." She sniffled loudly and looked up to see compassion on Nick's face. "I've never told anyone."

He caressed her arm. "You can trust me, Sara. I'm far from perfect, but you can trust me."

She nodded. "I'm trying."

He hugged her closer for a moment until his cell phone rang. He pulled it off of his belt to answer it. "Stokes." He glanced at Sara. "How is she?" He looked worried and then his face fell. "Oh, shit." He shook his head at Sara's panicked expression. "But otherwise she's ok." He let out a deep sigh. "Thank God." He smiled at Sara. "Ok, thanks, Rick, I will." He ended the call and looked into Sara's eyes. "She lost the baby."

"I was afraid of that." Sara replied softly.

"They had to do a hysterectomy too, she was bleeding too much." Nick continued to explain as he rubbed Sara's back.

Sara closed her eyes as she imagined how hard this was going to be for Catherine.

"She's pretty heavily sedated so Warrick said we should wait until tomorrow to go see her. I told him I'd tell you." He smiled softly as he continued to rub her back.

Sara didn't say anything else, her breathing slowly evened out and she drifted off to sleep a few minutes later. Nick watched her as she slept until he too fell asleep.


	16. Chapter 16

Catherine's eyes flitted open. She felt a bit disoriented. The last thing she remembered was making a beeline for the restroom to throw up and then feeling very dizzy. She glanced around the room, noting how sterile and impersonal it looked and surmised that she must be in the hospital. It took her a long moment to recognize that someone was sitting or rather slumping in the chair next to the bed.

Warrick heard her stirring and his eyes snapped open and he sat up quickly, taking in a deep breath as he slowly leaned forward and reached for her hand. "Hey." He smiled at her with concern.

Catherine smiled weakly at him, studying his expression.

"How are you feeling?" Warrick was worried. He knew that the past few weeks for her had been difficult and just when she'd accepted the fact that she was going to have another child, her world was turned upside down again.

Catherine winced as she tried to roll onto her side. "I feel like hell."

"They had to do emergency surgery." He informed her, knowing that she wouldn't want to wait until the doctor had come to fill her in.

She closed her eyes and let out a deep sigh. "I lost the baby, didn't I?"

"Yeah." He squeezed her hand and let out a sigh of his own. "You're lucky to be here."

His meaning wasn't lost on her as she felt him tighten his grip on her hand for a moment. She sniffled. "It was pretty bad then."

He nodded. "Do you want me to get the doctor?"

She shook her head and looked into his eyes. "I want you to tell me."

He brushed the back of her hand with his thumb. "They had to do a hysterectomy, Cath. You were hemorrhaging pretty badly."

Catherine bit her lower lip to curb the emotion welling up in her, knowing that even though this baby had been far from planned, that she'd never get the chance to be a mom again. Suddenly her thoughts went to Lindsey and she furrowed her brow in concern. "Where's Linds?"

"She's with your sister. They left about an hour ago." Warrick smiled. "She was pretty worried about you. She was blaming herself for upsetting you."

Catherine shook her head in disbelief at her daughter's reaction. "It's not her fault." She wiped back the tears.

"I know. I told her." Warrick tried to reassure her. "She and I had a chat. I think she's just still having a hard time with Eddie's death and she's taking it out on you."

Worry flickered across Catherine's face. "Does she know everything? We got in an argument before I went to work."

Warrick shook his head. "Your sister and I didn't think it was a good idea. If you want to tell her about the baby, you can, but that's your business." He smiled at her. "I'm here for you, I hope you know that."

Catherine nodded appreciatively. "I know, Rick. You're a good friend." She closed her eyes and winced a little at the stitches pulling at her abdomen.

Warrick leaned over and kissed her forehead. "Get some rest. I'll be here when you wake up."

Catherine smiled at the pressure of his hand around hers and allowed herself to drift back to sleep.

* * *

Sara woke with a start and she felt panic welling up inside of her as she felt a strong arm tightening around her waist. It wasn't until she heard a familiar voice that she began to relax and get her bearings.

"I'm here, Sara." Nick's drawl was thick when he was sleepy. He had felt Sara begin to thrash a bit in her sleep and whimper, so he'd pulled her close to try and reassure her. "It's ok, I've got you." He whispered into her hair as she rested against him.

"I forgot you were here." There was a hint of embarrassment in her voice as she allowed herself to close her eyes again. "I'm just not used to waking up with someone in my bed."

Nick chuckled softly. "I'm sorry I scared you." He loosened his hold on her and began rubbing her back, smoothing out her shirt which had inched upwards while they were sleeping.

"You just startled me." Sara defended, her smirk evident in her tone.

Nick furrowed his brow in concern. "Are you ok? It seemed like you were having a nightmare."

Sara lifted her head from where it had been resting against his chest and looked at him with a slightly bewildered expression on her face. "I don't remember what I was dreaming about."

Nick couldn't resist and he reached up and touched her face, trailing his fingers down her cheek. "You just seemed disturbed. I hope me being here didn't contribute to that."

"No, you being here is fine." She looked into his eyes. "I'm glad you're here."

There was something about her expression that made Nick want to kiss her and before he could stop himself, he shifted his weight to roll onto his side, his fingers caressing her cheek again as he leaned towards her.

Sara swallowed hard and turned her face away, making Nick's lips land on her cheek. "No." Her voice was just a whisper.

Nick pulled away with an apologetic expression on his face. "I'm sorry." He furrowed his brow knowing that he really hadn't thought through his actions.

Sara looked into his eyes and her own brow furrowed as she reached out and touched his face. "Don't be." She let out a frustrated sigh. "I know something is happening here, but I'm really scared and I'm not sure I'm ready to cross that line yet."

Her acknowledgement that something was changing between them bolstered Nick's spirits. She might not be ready to let him kiss her, but she wasn't denying that she felt something. He couldn't help but smile. "I can wait." He searched her face as he caressed her cheek again.

Sara let out a soft laugh. "I hope you're a patient man then."


	17. Chapter 17

Sara looked at Brass incredulously. "So he basically confessed to being there."

Brass smirked. "He said he stopped by, but no one was home."

Nick snorted. "Yeah, and I'm gonna let Greg talk me in to dying my hair blond again."

Sara and Brass glanced over at him with raised eyebrows.

"He's a guilty as they come." Nick continued, not noticing the expressions on the faces of the other two. "I told Sara that I thought Colin was creepy." At that statement Nick puffed his chest out just a little, but enough that Sara caught it.

"Well his little visit to Jenna's is enough to get us a warrant." Brass continued.

Sara tried to restrain an amused smile.

Nick glanced over at her and raised an eyebrow of his own. "What's so funny?"

Sara pursed her lips together and shook her head. "Uh, nothing."

Nick raised both brows and nudged her with his elbow as they continued to follow Brass out to the parking lot. "Spill."

"Green hair wasn't really a good look on you." She smirked at him. "I think your natural color is better." She pointed to his freshly buzzed hair. "But I like it better longer."

He grinned at her and leaned over to whisper in her ear. "So you care about what I look like then." He chuckled softly.

"Don't let it go to your head." Sara quipped and picked up her pace towards Nick's Denali.

Nick was still grinning as he climbed behind the wheel of the SUV and glanced over at Sara.

She smirked. "Concentrate on the case. We have to find solid evidence if we're going to have any proof that Colin McKenzie is the killer."

He winked. "I can multitask." He started the ignition as his thoughts drifted to what Sara had said to him earlier. He could be patient. He would be as patient as he needed to be if it meant he could have a chance at being with Sara. The fact that she had acknowledged that there was something between them that went beyond just friendship had put him on cloud nine even if she wasn't ready to go there yet.

It was a relatively short drive to Colin McKenzie's apartment. Brass kept him occupied outside while Nick and Sara searched his apartment. At first glance, he was a meticulous housekeeper, which didn't really come as any surprise considering how little physical evidence they had found at the scene of the crime. As Nick and Sara searched through each room, they seemed to find nothing, until they located a box underneath Colin's bed.

"Ok, this is creepy. Take a look." Sara opened the box and set it on the floor between them.

Nick furrowed his brow as he sifted through photo after photo of Jenna. "This is one sick dude." He held up a stack of notes that he'd unearthed from under the photos. "I think we've got our guy."

Sara let out a frustrated sigh. "All this proves is that he was obsessed with Jenna Matthews. It doesn't prove that he's the one that killed Camille."

Nick nodded, and raised his eyebrows. "True, but this certainly gives motive. His visit to her house could be the opportunity."

"Although he claims that he visited her house before she would have left for Jamaica." Sara added.

Nick shook his head. "I think maybe he did both."

"Do you ever wonder what possesses someone to stalk someone like this?" As soon as the words were out of her mouth she realized who it was she was asking and she winced as she noticed his jaw tighten. "Nick, I'm sorry." She looked at him apologetically.

He glanced up and smiled at her. "It's ok. It's something I have to deal with, and in this job more than I would otherwise."

"I wasn't even thinking." She knew that he had been more affected than any of them really knew and he didn't really talk about it much.

"Sara, really, it's ok." He spoke softly. "Let's just find something to nail this guy's ass, ok."

She nodded and smiled. "Ok."

After thoroughly searching Colin McKenzie's apartment all they found was the box of photos and notes, but it was enough that Brass decided to pull him into the station for more questioning, and he got a warrant to impound his car so they could search that as well.

His car was nearly as meticulously clean as his apartment was, although they did find several business cards in one of his cup holders.

After shift was over, they made their way out to the parking lot, Nick casting a glance over at Sara. "You want to run by the hospital and see Catherine?"

She nodded. "Yeah, but I want to go by my apartment first so I can get a book for her so she has something to read."

"Something tells me that she'd probably appreciate a romance novel more than the latest copy of the Journal of Forensic Science." He was only half joking.

Sara tried to scowl at him. "I read more than forensic journals."

Nick raised both eyebrows at her in mock surprise. "Sara Sidle?"

She let out a soft chuckle. "I've been known to read a racy novel now and then."

Nick's tone was a bit sultry. "Sara."

She rolled her eyes at him and they continued to banter as Nick drove towards her apartment. Once inside, Sara headed to her hall closet to look for the book she had in mind and opened it a little too quickly, causing a cascade of items to tumble out.

"Who knew that neat freak Sara Sidle had a dirty closet." Nick teased in amusement.

Sara glanced up ready to make a retort, but instead a realization hit her and she looked up at Nick a bit wide eyed. "That's it. One of those business cards we found in his car was for a storage place. I could just kiss you right now."

Nick looked at her with interested smile. "I'm ready and willing."


	18. Chapter 18

Sara blushed as she realized what she'd just said.

Nick let out a soft chuckle as he looked at her. "My offer still stands."

She bit her lower lip to keep from smiling. "I wasn't really thinking when I said that."

Nick cleared his throat. "Are you sure about that?" He was doing his best not to grin. Just about everything in him wanted to walk over to her and kiss her senseless.

Sara began shoving things back into her closet, righting a box that had toppled over and locating the book she had wanted to bring Catherine in the process. She didn't look at Nick. "Not really."

He chuckled a little deeper. "So you do want to kiss me then." Nick looked a little smug.

Sara swallowed hard before looking up at him. "It's not that easy." She felt her cheeks burning again as she stood up and closed the door to the closet.

Nick raised an eyebrow, looking unconvinced. "Really."

Sara couldn't look Nick in the eye as she tried to formulate her defense. "It's just that earlier when we were." She coughed nervously.

"In bed." Nick had a mischievous glint in his eye.

Sara's cheeks burned a little redder and she still didn't look directly at him. "I just didn't think that, I just thought." She let out a deep breath and looked him in the eye. "I was afraid if I let you kiss me then that things might get out of hand because we were." She let her words trail off.

"In bed." Nick finished for her.

"Yeah." Her voice was a whisper and a smile began to tug the corners of her mouth upwards as she watched Nick's face.

He stepped towards her with a smile of his own. "I would never do anything you weren't ready for, Sara."

Sara nodded, her fingers clutching the book in her hand. "It's just, I mean." She paused and looked at him for a long moment. "What's happening here, Nick?" Her expression was a mixture of apprehension and trust.

Nick took another step towards her. "I care about you very much." He took another step and reached out to touch her cheek. "And I'm very attracted to you." His thumb brushed her cheek as the rest of his hand cupped her face. "You can trust me."

Sara unconsciously licked her lips, leaning her face into Nick's hand as her eyes drifted momentarily to his mouth. She nodded and whispered as her eyes fluttered shut. "Ok."

Nick slowly angled his face towards hers, giving her every opportunity to pull away before softly touching his lips to hers. Encouraged as he felt her respond, he applied more pressure, slowly deepening the kiss.

The book in Sara's hand hit the floor with a soft thud as she wound her arms around Nick's neck and gave herself over to the sensation of the kiss, letting out a soft whimper as his arms went around her waist and pulled her closer.

They stood there like that for a long time, trading slow deep kisses, finally pulling apart a bit breathless.

Sara was the first to speak as she rested her forehead against his. "We need to call Brass to get a warrant."

Nick looked at her a bit perplexed for a moment and then let out a chuckle. "Ok." He leaned in and kissed her again a bit more passionately.

As he pulled away a few moments later, Sara whispered. "Wow."

Nick reached up and caressed her cheek. "That's more like it." He stole one more quick kiss and then let her out of his embrace. "Do you want to call Brass on the way to the hospital to see Catherine?"

Sara looked at him blankly for a moment and then nodded, reaching up to touch her lips as she continued to stare at him.

Nick crouched down and picked up the book Sara had dropped holding it up as he righted himself. "I think you dropped this." He grinned at her.

Sara felt her cheeks warming. "I was a little distracted." She reached over tentatively and touched his face, slowly brushing her fingers along his jaw line and then feathering them over his lips before leaning in and softly kissing him.

They spent a few more minutes slowly kissing before Sara pulled away with a wide grin on her face. "We should go."

Nick nodded, eyeing her lips. "Yeah." He kissed her again on the way out to his Denali and then once more before she climbed inside.

The drive to the hospital was relatively quick, the morning traffic being fairly light. Sara called Brass on the way and shared their suspicions about Colin McKenzie's storage unit and he agreed that they'd probably have no problem getting a warrant.

As they parked at Desert Palm Hospital, Nick couldn't resist leaning over and kissing her again, taking her hand after they'd exited the vehicle. They headed into the hospital hand in hand, neither really thinking about the fact that anyone else on the team might be visiting Catherine. It wasn't until they'd walked into Catherine's room and noticed Warrick raising a curious eyebrow at their linked hands that they simultaneously let go.

Catherine smiled at the two younger CSIs. "Hey." She too had noticed the way they'd let go of each other's hands as they'd entered the room.

Sara stepped towards her bed and held out the book she'd gotten out of her closet. "Hey, Cath, I brought you something to read."

Catherine let out a deep throaty chuckle as she noted the title, wincing a little as her stitches pulled a bit. "I never would have figured you for reading romance novels, especially ones this racy."

Sara blushed ever so slightly and smirked. "I do read more than forensic journals contrary to popular belief." She glanced over at Nick for a moment before turning back to Catherine and furrowing her brow. "Have you already read this one?"

Catherine nodded. "Yes, but trust me, I wouldn't mind reading it again, and it seems I'll have a little time to do that." She gestured at the bed.

"How long do they say you'll be here?" Nick asked with a concerned smile as he sat on the edge of her bed and put a hand on her arm.

Catherine let out a frustrated sigh. "A few more days, and then I'm supposed to spend some more time at home recuperating, provided I can get someone to stay with me."

Sara smiled reassuringly. "Hey, we'll take care of the caseload, you just take care of yourself and get some rest."

"We've got your back, Cath." Warrick smiled, reaching over and taking her hand and giving it a squeeze before letting go. He fully intended to make sure she got the rest the doctor prescribe, and in fact he'd been brainstorming with her sister to make sure that one of them was with her all the time until the doctor cleared her to get out of bed.

Nick glanced at his watch. "Hey, I hate to go, but we asked Brass to get a warrant to search a suspect's storage unit and we need to get back out where we can have our cell phones on."

Catherine nodded in understanding. "Thanks for stopping by."

Nick leaned over and kissed Catherine's cheek and then whispered in her ear. "I'm really sorry that this happened, Cath, but I'm glad that you're going to be ok."

Catherine felt a wave of emotion welling up, and she smiled to try and stifle it as Nick stood up. "Let me know how your case pans out."

Sara smiled. "We will."

Nick and Sara made their way out of the hospital room, Nick's hand resting at the small of Sara's back, and as the door shut, Warrick looked over at Catherine and let out a soft chuckle as he took her hand in his. "Something's going on with those two."


	19. Chapter 19

Nick and Sara had already spent several hours going through the storage unit belonging to Colin McKenzie. Sara's hunch had been correct. The unit was packed with a collection of items so random it seemed as if they'd stepped inside a giant junk drawer.

"Man this guy is a freaking packrat." Nick exclaimed as he opened yet another box, this one full of baseball cards.

Sara huffed out her nose. Something told her that this was their last chance. If they didn't find something in there then Colin would most likely walk and Camille wouldn't get the justice she deserved. Suddenly, she reached for another box, one that had been near the back, but looked as if it had been recently placed there. As she pulled it open a chuckle escaped unbidden. "I think we've got him."

Nick's head snapped up and turned his attention towards her. "What do you have?"

Sara motioned for him to come over to her. "Bring the camera. I want to make sure this is documented by the book."

"As if you'd do it any other way." Nick grinned at her as he handed her the camera.

She took several shots of the box from above before pulling out a zip lock plastic bag with knife inside. Traces of blood were evident on the hilt. She smirked at Nick as she handed him the camera. "Look, he even bagged it for us."

Nick chuckled and held the camera up to take a shot. "Say cheese, Sara."

She rolled her eyes. "Let's call Brass and have him get some cadets out here to move all of this stuff." She gestured towards the storage unit.

He nodded. They were both bone tired and there would be plenty of time next shift to sift through the rest of the boxes. For the time being at least it appeared that they had what they came for; a weapon that was most likely used to kill Camille Matthews. DNA would help them know for sure and they couldn't do anything more until they had those results.

Nick made a quick call to Brass and within an hour several police cadets arrived with a large truck to move the contents of the storage unit back to the lab. He glanced over at Sara as the loading began and noticed her letting out a yawn. He stepped closer to her and leaned over and whispered in her ear. "Let's call it a day."

She nodded. "Food then sleep."

Nick was somewhat surprised that she didn't protest when he reached out and took her hand as they walked towards his Denali since they were technically still at a crime scene. As they reached the passenger side of the vehicle, Nick leaned down and kissed her on the forehead.

Sara smiled and then wearily climbed into the SUV. By the time they'd stopped by the lab to drop the knife off in DNA and then driven to her apartment, she was asleep.

Nick descended from the vehicle and went around to the passenger side, opening the door and slowly unbuckling Sara's seatbelt. "Sara, we're here."

Her eye fluttered open and she let out a sleepy yawn. She slid out of the Denali and took Nick's hand. "I changed my mind."

Nick cocked his eyebrow curiously.

"Sleep then food." She couldn't believe that she'd fallen asleep so easily on the way home.

"No arguments from me." Nick agreed.

As they stopped at her door, Sara fumbled for her keys in her purse and she glanced up at Nick. "You don't have to stay if you don't want to."

He pursed his lips together to keep from smiling. "Do you want me to?"

Now it was her turn to try and keep from smiling. "Yeah."

"Then I want to stay." He grinned at her. "And don't worry, I'm not going to pressure you into doing anything you're not ready for." He reached over and combed his fingers lightly through her hair and then kissed her cheek.

She pushed the door open and smiled at Nick's affectionate gesture. "Good."

Nick closed the door behind them as they both dropped their keys and cell phones on the counter as they passed by the kitchen, kicking their shoes off on the way to her bedroom.

Sara disappeared into the bathroom and emerged a few minutes later clad in pajamas to find Nick stripped down to his T-shirt and boxers already under her covers and sound asleep. She smiled as she slipped into bed next to him and almost as soon as her head had hit the pillow she was asleep as well.

* * *

"So it's definitive then." Sara wanted Greg to just hurry up and get to the point. She was anxious to see Camille Matthews get justice and at the moment, Greg's inclination to 'make a presentation' was hindering that.

Greg sensed her agitation. "Yes. There are two blood donors on the knife. One is human and one is feline, and the DNA markers of the human blood are a match to your victim, and her sister."

Sara raised an eyebrow. "Well, Jenna doesn't have any injuries."

"I'm just saying that since she and your vic are identical twins they have the same DNA profile, so you might want to verify that she doesn't have any injuries consistent with this knife, especially if Colin McKenzie gets a good lawyer." Greg offered. He knew how many times perfectly good evidence was called into question by slick lawyers in the middle of a trial. He also knew that this case had really bothered Sara and he wanted to do whatever he could to help make sure that their killer stayed behind bars.

Sara nodded. "Good point, but we've already got it covered. Camille's blood, the cat's blood, and Colin McKenzie's storage unit complete the triangle. He's guilty as hell."

Nick sauntered into the DNA lab and smiled. "Did you get it?"

She grinned at him. "We sure did. Let's call Brass and get a warrant."

Without thinking, Nick leaned over and gave her a quick kiss. "You're amazing."

Sara felt a faint blush creep up her cheeks as she cleared her throat and glanced over at Greg.

Nick looked like he was about to say something when Greg interrupted him, smiling in spite of himself. "If it couldn't be me, I'm glad it's you."

Nick coughed nervously. "Thanks man." He looked at Sara apologetically. "I wasn't thinking."

She smirked. "I know, but I kind of like it."


	20. Chapter 20

Catherine woke to find Warrick slumped in the chair next to her hospital bed sound asleep. She furrowed her brow as she watched him. He had been there everyday since she'd been admitted to the hospital, coming there directly after shift and staying until the beginning of the next. He had been such a good friend to her over the years and since she'd found out that she was pregnant, he'd been an even better one. There was a part of her that wanted more from him, but there was another part of her that really needed to step back and evaluate the direction her life was going in.

As long as she could remember, she'd been living on the edge, and it wasn't like her family life had given her any other example. Her mother had been Sam Braun's lover, but never someone that he was willing to commit to. That example had led Catherine down a line of men who had used her and abused her, Eddie being the biggest loser of them all. That is until she met Chris. He was a pretty big loser in his own right.

She let out a sigh. She wasn't really sure what it was she saw in him, and as she considered it, she realized that the only thing that she had really wanted Chris for was pleasure. Her thoughts turned to Lindsey and with regret she realized that if she continued on the path that she'd paved, her daughter was destined to end up in the same place that she was. Alone and without real love in her life.

She saw Warrick stir and then open his eyes. "Hey." She smiled at him.

He let out yawn and tried to stretch the kinks out of his neck from sleeping hunched over. "How long have you been awake?" He looked at her inquisitively.

"A little while." Her brow was still furrowed as she let out a sigh.

Warrick looked concerned. "You ok?"

She nodded. "I've just been doing some thinking."

Warrick nodded thoughtfully. "Wanna talk about it?" He knew that this whole situation had to be hard on Catherine.

"I'm just not the kind of mother I want my daughter to have." Catherine had a serious expression on her face.

"You're a good mom." Warrick began to protest.

Catherine shook her head. "Can you honestly say that?"

Warrick nodded. "Yes, I can. Lindsey is a good kid."

Catherine looked at him earnestly. "I'm one step away from being the kind of mom who doesn't see that her boyfriend is molesting her daughter because she can't seem to pick men who see fidelity as important. I'm a lousy judge of character when it comes to the men I date. We've seen enough people in this line of work who have screwed themselves up and their families up because of one stupid choice."

"Cath, I think you're being too hard on yourself." Warrick knew what she was getting at, but he had nothing but admiration for her for doing the best with the hand she'd been dealt in life.

"I need to be hard on myself. I don't want Lindsey to repeat my mistakes and unless I change some of the things in my life that obviously haven't worked up to this point, that's exactly what is going to happen." She was adamant.

Warrick just listened.

"I just think that it's time I grew up a little and took care of my daughter and thought more about what's best for her instead of just what I want." Catherine had a faint smile on her lips.

"I still think you're doing a good job, Cath." Warrick reached over and took her hand, giving it a squeeze.

"I appreciate you saying that, but I know I can do better." Her voice was soft as she studied his face. "I just think maybe I need to take a break from a few things for a while."

Warrick's brow furrowed slightly.

"I have to take a few weeks off work to recover from the surgery, but I think I need to make some other changes." There was a part of her that wanted to tell Warrick that he was the kind of man she wanted to be with, but she knew that if she did, she might not really correct the direction her life was heading in. She only hoped that he'd still be there when she figured things out.

"What kind of changes?" He could tell that there were feelings deepening between them, but he didn't want to push her either. He could wait if that's what it meant, he just wanted Catherine to be happy, and he truly wanted what was best for Lindsey too.

She smirked. "For starters, I think I need to pull myself out of the dating pool for a while. I think I need to spend some time reconnecting with Linds. When Chris and I were together, I spent so much of my off time with him that I hardly saw her. She's spent more time with my sister over the summer than she has with me." A sadness crept over her face. "I don't want to lose her, Warrick."

Warrick nodded. "I know you don't." He lifted her hand and kissed the back of it. "I'm here for you, no matter what. You know that don't you?"

She nodded. "That means a lot to me." She truly appreciated his friendship. She'd connected with him in a way that she hadn't connected with anyone else, and even though she'd known Grissom longer, she really was closer to Warrick.

Warrick smiled at her. "I've got your back."

Catherine let out a low chuckle. "Good, because I have a feeling that this is going to be a hell of a lot harder than I think it is."

"If anyone can do it, you can." Warrick assured her with a grin.


	21. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

_**Ten months, three days, and six hours later:**_

It was the rustling sound of the fabric that really began to make the reality of the day set in for her. Sara took a deep breath and glanced at herself in the full length mirror. She never really thought she would be a bride, and she was never so glad to be wrong as she was today. She glanced down at her left hand at the empty place on her ring finger. For the last seven months, she'd worn a brilliant diamond engagement ring, and at the end of a ceremony in just another hour she'd be wearing that ring again along with a wedding band, sealing her lifelong commitment to Nick Stokes. A commitment that some said he would never make to anyone; she was glad that they were wrong about that too.

A soft knock sounded at the door of the room she was in. She let out a deep breath and smiled. "Come in."

Catherine poked her head in and her jaw dropped slightly before a smile overtook her expression. "You look amazing, Sara."

Sara laughed softly, belying the nervousness she felt inside. "You say that like it'll never happen again."

Catherine smirked as she entered the room and closed the door behind her. "And it shouldn't. This is your wedding day. A woman should always be the most beautiful she's ever been on her wedding day."

Sara furrowed her brow and looked at Catherine a bit anxiously. "Am I supposed to be this nervous?"

Catherine chuckled. "If it makes you feel any better, Nick's nervous too."

Sara suddenly looked worried.

Catherine shook her head to try and reassure her. "He's nervous because he still can't believe that you agreed to marry him. Don't worry, he wants this more than anything."

Sara smiled, feeling her cheeks flush slightly. "Me too." And she did want it, more than she ever thought possible.

Another knock sounded at the door.

"Come in." Sara called out, glancing towards the door.

Warrick slowly opened the door and let out a low whistle as he took in Sara's appearance. "Girl, you look some kind of beautiful."

Sara smiled. "Thank you." Compliments about her appearance were difficult for her to take, but being around Nick had made it easier for her to accept them because he was constantly telling her that he loved her and that he thought she was beautiful.

Warrick shook his head. "Nick isn't going to know what hit him when he sees you."

"He's right you know." Catherine agreed.

Warrick glanced over at Catherine and his expression took on a slightly nervous edge. "Hey, Cath, can I talk to you for a moment?"

"Sure." Catherine looked at him a bit quizzically before glancing over at Sara. "You really do look beautiful, Sara."

"See you in a little while." Warrick winked at Sara as he and Catherine headed out of the room.

As Warrick and Catherine stepped outside of the white clapboard church just a few miles and worlds from the glitzy strip and the wedding chapels Vegas was known for, the sun seemed to temporarily blind them.

Catherine glanced up at her longtime friend, holding her hand above her eyes so she could see him. "What did you need?"

Warrick simply smiled. "Truthfully?"

Catherine furrowed her brows, curious as to where this conversation was going. "No, I'd prefer that you lie." There was a hint of sarcasm and amusement in her voice.

"Cath, we've been friends a long time." Warrick regarded her with a soft smile.

A hint of a smile began to play at the edges of Catherine's mouth.

"And I think it's about time we got past that." Warrick looked at her intently.

Catherine let out a chuckle.

"I talked to Lindsey and she agrees." Warrick continued with a smirk.

Catherine's eyebrows shot up. "You talked to Lindsey?"

Warrick nodded. "I figured if I wanted to date her mother, I should get her permission."

Catherine was speechless as she just stared at him, still trying to process what he was saying.

Warrick reached out and touched her cheek gently. "I thought we could date for a while and then maybe end up in a place like this, if you were open to it."

Catherine could not keep the incredulous smile off of her face as she continued to stare at him and finally nodded.

Warrick chuckled. "Is that a yes?"

"That's a hell yes." Catherine wrapped her arms around Warrick's neck and smiled as he leaned in and kissed her.

* * *

"Are you ready?" Grissom raised a curious eyebrow at Sara as he offered her his arm. He had agreed to give her away since her relationship with her parents was strained at best and they hadn't even bothered to come to the wedding.

She took a deep breath and smiled. "I am more than ready." She threaded her arm through his and then looked over at him with a studied expression. "Gris, thank you so much for doing this. It means a lot to me to have you walk me down the aisle."

He gave her a boyish smirk. "How could I refuse?" Initially when he'd learned that Nick and Sara were dating, he didn't take it too well, but as he saw how good Nick was for Sara, he realized that he was happy for her. The easy friendship that he'd shared with Sara when she'd first come to Vegas had returned over these last several months and both of them were sincerely thankful for it.

They were standing in the foyer of the church waiting for the music to cue their entrance and then suddenly it was time. The doors were opened, the crowd stood, and Sara Sidle was walking down the aisle to marry Nick Stokes.

For his part, the moment Nick saw her, tears began to slip down his cheeks. He could hardly believe that he was getting to marry Sara. He'd loved her almost as long as he'd known her and over the past months since they'd started dating, he'd fallen even more deeply in love with her.

Nick could hardly contain his grin as he offered Sara his arm and Grissom sat down. Nick leaned down and kissed her garnering a humorous chastisement from the minister about getting a little ahead of himself. Laughter rippled throughout the crowd.

Sara hardly noticed that the ceremony was over almost as soon as it seemed to begin, only aware of it because they exchanged wedding bands and when they were pronounced husband and wife, Nick gave her a kiss that nearly took her breath away.

In the end, the lab had become much more than a place where people came to work, it became a confluence of their very lives, and none of them were the same as a result of it.

_**The End**_

**Author's Note:** Special thanks to Mel for being my beta for this story. I appreciate your input and humor, and I will never watch "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" again without thinking about your Neuro-Anatomy professor. Maybe someday soon, I will have to write a special YoBling story with a guest appearance by the Sunglasses of Justice. Thanks to all my readers. I appreciate you all taking the time to read my stories and comment on them.


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